THE AMBITION: A STAR WARS STORY
by RainIsMyMusic
Summary: SYOC: On a day like any other, a group of eight unrelated mercenaries, smugglers, and other low-lives are offered a job by an Imperial officer: Locate the mysterious and famed "Living Well" and they'll be granted riches beyond belief along with a pardon for their crimes. Headed by the infamous con-woman Andromeda, this crew is in for a wild ride across the galaxy.
1. PROLOGUE

**Hey everyone! So its been exactly a week since my first update, and wow! I'm so floored with happiness and gratitude and the amazing response this story has received! The submissions have been exactly incredible, and I can't wait to see more! The last date to send in a submission is January 24th, but I may open them later in the story for side characters and such. (Information and form are all on profile!)**

**This chapter's a bit short, just for you guys to get a taste of my writing and of some juicy plot details and info that will be important later!**

**Without further ado, the prologue!**

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_**6 BBY**_

_**An Unknown planet somewhere outside the Unknown Regions...**_

It was too cold to do anything, Bril thought, breath coming out in cold icy puffs from his mouth. He shifted, thick dark boots mushing the dirt underneath into a slushy, icy mess that to his heels.

He sighed, hands wrapping tight around his middle as he tried to conserve his body heat. It helped barely against the biting chill of the air, seeming to notice his futile attempt at warmth and freezing him anymore.

The entire blasted planet was cold and windy and odd. Chilled, magnetic winds howled across the dirt plains, kicking up snow and dirt in a frenzied tantrum. There were no mountains, no snowbanks, no hills or houses or civilization: just empty flat land as far as they eye can see, interspersed with spires of high rock formations and old ruins, covered with the same slushy ice that coated the ground like paint. Fog drifted around them, suffocating and stifling Bril.

He didn't like this planet. Something was off about this world, he knew it.

Cursing sounded behind him, the acerbic words cutting through his cold, dazed state like a knife. Bril looked back over his shoulder, his poorly wrapped lavender lekku shifting around his head.

Dais was still crouched by their crashed ship, head in his hands, muttering under his breath. His dark head was bowed, the heels of his hands pushing tight against his eyes in his misery. His shoulders shook in between screaming bursts of wind that rattled the snowy plains and Bril's bones.

"We don't have all day," Bril called out, gritting his teeth when a harsh wind whipped around his jacket, freezing him even more. He should have wrapped his lekku better, he thought miserably.

"We don't have a ship either," Dais shot back, standing up and wiping his dirty hands on his trousers.

Bril huffed at that, trying to think of a good comeback but eventually realizing he had nothing to shoot back with. He bit his tongue, feeling the sharp points of his teeth dig into the soft muscle with angry vigor.

The two of them were not well off if Bril actually sat down and thought about it instead of bemoaning the cold. The magnetic winds didn't just carry snow and cold, they also surrounded the planet's atmosphere. While they were entering the planet's gravitation pull, the winds shut down their navigation and almost every electrical unit in the entire ship. They had only seen the ground when it was too late.

Bril had managed to get by relatively unharmed with just a broken arm and a dislocated ankle which had hurt like hell to put back into place.

But others weren't so lucky as him, his eyes flicking back to the freshly turned mound of dirt besides their downed ship. Akeela...

Dais finally stopped staring at the warped metal of their former ship and home, smoke still flickering in between the wreckage. He turned on his shoulder, ducked his head into the crook of his shoulder to wipe away some of the dirt and tears on his face, and finally started to hobble over. He clenched his side tightly, fingers halting along the swatch of bandages tight around his abdomen. But he grit his teeth and bore it, perhaps one of the most admiring qualities of the human.

"This better be worth it," Dais said, sniffing harshly. Bril nodded, echoing the sentiment. The two looked together at the towering spires of rock and ice before them, leading into the unknown. This better be worth it indeed.

They walked in silence, only disrupted by the occasional shiver or bitter mumble. Bril walked unsteadily, still feeling the phantom pain of his ankle where it got stuck between one of the chairs and a fallen beam during the crash.

The fog was like smoke, weaseling away inside Bril's lungs and fogging up his insides. He almost felt dazed in a way, with the fog so thick and the air so cold. He pushed on. This would be the key to the reward that would let him see his family again. Do it for them, he repeated to himself, do it for them.

It was unsettling to say the least, the fog thick and deathly quiet. It was like a vacuum had sucked up all the noise in the area, leaving them with only silence. Bril had the faintest sensation that he was trespassing somewhere. Like he was being judges and watched.

Dais stopped at something, turning away from Bril to examine something on the ground. Bril paid him no mind: he was used to Dais breaking off from the group to go look at something or write it down in his mind's eidetic memory. It provided excellent detail, and it allowed Dais to shut his mouth for a little bit instead of complaining or grumbling all the time.

He was about to forge on, when he heard a gruff call. "Bril, come o'er here," Dais shouted out, confusion seeping into his voice like water.

Bril tilted his head and stumbled over to where Dais was standing: One of the rock formations half-shrouded in fog. Maybe there was something on it...

He leaned over Dais's shoulder, silently thanking the fact he was taller than his human companion. Dais grumbled at the contact but nevertheless permitted it, tilting his head back and to the side to allow Bril better access to what he uncovered.

Bril's eyes narrowed, then widened.

"What do you think it means?" Bril whispered, fingers tightening their grip on the other's shoulder in curiosity.

"Why'd you think I'd called you over? To chat about tea?" Dais grumbled, eyes focused on pattern in the ground.

Bril scoffed and bitterly squeezed Dais's shoulder tighter then before, silently giving him a, "shut up," gesture. Dais only muttered something under his breath in response.

No wonder Dais called him over. They were runes, strange blocked shapes carved into the stone like an old archeological find. Bril was a linguist, he knew a dead language when he saw one.

Bril had never encountered a language like this. He knew many different languages and twice as many scripts and texts. He could speak droid, huttese, Mando'a, but this...this was strange. He leans far over Dais's shoulder, attempting to push himself closer to the words engraved in stone. His hand extended slightly to brush along the surface as if to discern their meaning through touch.

"It has similarities to Aurebesh's grammatical structure, but the entire syntax is off, this doesn't make sense..." he mused, frowning. He hated not knowing something, hated being ignorant to new facts.

He attempted translating it in his mind's eyes, replacing the strange runic letters with the languages he knew. Perhaps it was a code of some sort, a ritual to see if one could truly translate it. But all it revealed was nonsense words and gibberish.

He slipped away from Dais, removing his hand to instead push himself closer. Dais moved away from the twi'lek, fidgeting as he stared at Bril like he was expecting something.

"Well?" Dais asked, his impatience getting the better of him. .

Bril hushed him and struggled with his memory, trying to find something common in these letters with his years of study. This was his dream, right? Discovering a hidden language, but instead of being excited he was just frustrated and mad. The flight, the job, the crash, Akeela, everything had affected him more than he had realized.

He grit his teeth and stared at the letters harder, eyes narrowing in frustration. He had to clear his head, getting angry and frustrated would get him nowhere.

Dais apparently found something else that was more interesting than the discovery of a new language, following a trail of something on the ground. Bril paid him no mind, it was quieter this way without him hovering over his shoulder.

Bril's eyes lighted back on the runes. _Maybe it was a cipher, a code,_ he though as his fingers rubbed along the grooves of the lettering. _Switching the runes around could work..._

He probably should have been paying more attention. He should have noticed what exactly the trail was on the ground, or possibly even forced Dais back to his side. Curbed Dais's insatiable lust for wandering and getting distracted and list out all the ways that the two of them should stick together instead of separating.

But Bril did not. Dais slipped away, and Bril focused on words.

As Bril was mentally switching some of the words around to no avail, a choked gasp broke through his concentration. Just as Bril was looking up, there was Dais running towards him and grabbing him by the shoulders. He started pulling him away with a frantic and frenzied pace. His grip was tight against Bril's shoulders.

"What-"

"We need to get out of here. Now." Dais hissed, his grip unrelenting. He marched with the frenzy of a spooked horse. Bril protested, looking back at the small letters he never got the chance to decipher.

"How? We have no ship!" Bril tried to break out of Dais's grip, but he only grabbed him harder. Bril hissed when he started to feel bruises form against his collarbone.

"We'll find something," Dais growled, only pushing Bril harder. He finally managed to get his elbow in between Dais's ribs and shoved him away.

"Bril, we don't have time-"

Bril cut him off with a scowl. "No, no, Don't 'Bril' me! What's wrong?"

Dais opened his mouth to speak but nothing ever came. Bril's eyes widened as the telltale rumble of machinery moving thundered. An energized hum flooded the area like a siren. A chill shook Bril's spine.

He looked around, trying to find the source. Dais only grabbed his hand and started to match him away even faster, "We need to go, _now_."

Bril nodded, hands shaking. They started to run.

Bril jolted and stumbled as he clutched tighter to Dais. His ankle throbbed under the pressure, but he couldn't stop. The fog thickened around them. Bril couldn't even see a few steps in front of them.

Dais panted hot on Bril's neck, staggering gasps amidst footsteps. His fingers tightened around Bril's palm. He swallowed and forced himself to run faster.

Bril could feel it. Another energized hum rocketed through the air. Goosebumps shot up on Bril's arms. It was closer now.

Dais frantically looked over his shoulder. "This is bad, this is really-" Dais didn't finish. A gleaming, mechanical hand shot out from the fog and wrapped around his throat.

Bril's eyes met Dais's for a split second, deep brown locking with deep blue. _Run_, Dais tried to plead in the quick second he had, convey every word he could into a short moment. Bril watched him go.

The mechanical hand ripped Dais away and into the fog. He slammed into a rock spire with a sickening _crunch_. His body slumped onto the ground. Burgundy bloomed from his head, seeping into the ice.

As he stared at the blood staining the ground, Bril suddenly realized what that trail beside the runes was made of. Bril jerked in shock, a soundless cry slipping from his throat.

A deep drone thundered through his skull and bones. Bril slowly turned to see a mechanical face looming before him. Ice was frozen over part of the gleaming bronze metal, causing sparks to fly off burning eyes. He saw his own startled reflection in the robotic creature, eyes wide with terror and fear.

Bril never had a chance to even scream.

A few moments later he hit the ground, chest charred and burnt open. His eyes were lifeless, open, locked on sights no one could see. The mechanical being, with the threat disposed of, lumbered off into the fog.

The white mist seeped back across the plains once more, covering the ice and rock formations, covering up the bodies like a funeral shroud.

Howling winds rolled once more across the dirt plains.

* * *

_**A few days later in the Mid-Rim...**_

Andromeda had always had the uncanny ability to tell how the day would be based on how she woke up. Waking up rested, refreshed, and without imps on her trail? Good day, make sure to bet extra at the tables. In a bed that's definitely _not_ hers? Check who's bed it is first, and then decide.

Today, when she woke up blearily blinking out sleep in her eye, a crick in her spine, and asleep at the helm of her ship? Bad day, very very bad day.

She grimaced at the massive headache rattling her brain, placing a hand against her forehead as she tried to steady herself. Her back ached from sleeping in the awkward position: one leg pulled up against her chest and the other stretched out across the dashboard with her head was lulled back against the headrest.

_Bad day indeed_, she grumbled, her clothes sweaty and sticky against her skin. She wouldn't even be able to wash them, seeing as she was so low on the water in her ship's tanks that she could only afford to use it to drink and cook.

She yawned, stretching her arms up all the way as she picked herself up off the seat with a lengthy sigh. The knobs in her spine popped with the motion, making her sign in relief.

She stumbled her way across the cockpit to make her way to the galley, where hopefully she could scrounge up something to eat before she finally picked a spot to travel to.

Andromeda placed a slender hand on the wall of her ship as she walked along, partially to ensure she wanted slam face-first onto the ground but also to try and comfort the old gal herself.

"There, there, Ambi," she mumbled, dragging her fingertips along smooth metal, "You're gonna feel great when we get you stocked up again. Nice and fresh."

The ship didn't say a word, given that it was a ship. Andromeda sighed and clicked the door open to the galley, shaking her head. She really must have hyperspace sickness or something if she was talking to a ship expecting an answer.

She shrugged, shelving the topic away to entertain herself on another sleepless night. She crouched down on the balls of her feet to yank open one of the cabinets and rummage through it.

Barely anything in there was edible she had soon discovered. Some ration packs she would rather starve to death than eat, an empty carton of some kind of blue drink, a wrapper for some kind of candy that had now turned white. There was even a package of nuts in there. Her nose scrunched, she didn't remember buying nuts, she hated those little packages of seeds and filth.

Her dark eyes roamed over the old packages and containers, until settling on a package of half-eaten fungus crackers. Her dark eyes gleamed in triumph. Bingo. She practically ripped the package out of the cabinet and kicked the door shut with the heel of her boot. With her prize in hand, she happily started munching as she casually paced in her galley.

Well, semi-happily munching. They were stale and dry, like eating bricks made of dust. But it was food, so that had to be good enough.

She picked through the package, throwing one cracker that looked suspiciously moldy into the trash compactor as she thoght.

She had to figure out a spot to hang low after that disaster on one of Coruscant's moons. Andromeda grimaced just thinking about that stuck-up core world. It was definitely cocky of her to infiltrate one of those rich socialite events, let alone steal from them. But the collection of shiny jewelry stashed under her mattress would keep her warm, granted she lived long enough in space with such low supplies.

She flicked her tongue over her teeth, catching spare crumbs of crackers underneath her lips. She paced the small galley, cracker package crinkling under her fingers.

She knew she would be an idiot to try and head out near Kwymar Sector, despite some of the old allies she still had over there. She couldn't go near the core worlds after the stealing incident. And Imps were crawling on every damn planet as the days passed.

She paused as a thought came to her like a lightning bolt.

Mid-rim...Mid-rim could be a potential candidate.

Andromeda flexed her jaw and stopped chewing. Yeah...mid-rim...

She swallowed her half-chewed cracker, wincing at the scratchy feel of it sliding down her throat. Andromeda tossed the package onto the counter and quickly started to rush down the ship's corridor.

She wasn't expecting her ratty boots to be so slippery as she sprinted. She had found it out when she couldn't grip properly and skidded into a wall with a harsh bump. Her nose throbbed from the force of her slide. She cursed bitterly and angrily, kicking at the wall with her other foot. Then, she softened and quickly apologized to the ship.

She slowed down after the embarrassing run-into-wall incident, still managing to slide into the living space with semi-graceful ease.

Collapsing onto the embedded couch in the living space, she sighed, stretching out her legs under the table and sliding in her seat. She extended a hand and quickly punched in a few butttons on the holo-table. A map of the galaxy unfolded in pixie blue, twinkling against harsh industrial lights.

She lifted a finger and twirled the map around, zooming in one particular planet, tucked away in the Western Reaches.

Takodana. A smuggler's haven. And word was that the Imps hadn't managed to get control of it yet. Or more likely, they let it be because of the hassle to weed out all the criminals on that paradise.

She stared at the phantom image of the planet as a plan formulated in the inner-machinations of her mind. She could see the lush, vibrant jungles of deep green and the bright blue of waters in her minds eye. Cool temperatures, low humidity, easy breezes. It wasn't a vacation spot, but it looked like one to someone who had been living it up between hyperspace jumps and in space for over two weeks.

She could pick up some contacts there at some of the local bars, sell her haul to some lowlife without too many questions, catch up on a few old friends..

Andromeda smiled, just lightly, the corner of her lips lifting just upward in mirth.

_Takodana...perfect._

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**So, there we are! Not too detailed and long, just to kinda set up the story and show off Andromeda a bit. Remember to review and keep up those submissions! Its going to be difficult to pick a crew, I love them all! Thank you, and see you the 24th!**


	2. CHAPTER 1, PT 1

**Hello everyone, and welcome to the first official chapter of THE AMBITION: A STAR WARS STORY! I'm so sorry it took this long for the long wait, it was supposed to be much earlier...but then my classes decide to pile on the work...and then I caught bronchitis...yay. _BUT_ I got myself a brand new car, got a good grade on an essay I was super stressed for, and some extra reviewing and revising time for this update so silver lining!**

**For future updates, I'm gonna try and keep to a two/three week update schedule with chapters on Friday or Saturday for future notice. I wanna keep updates like at a regular schedule so all of your readers know fairly well when updates are.**

**This chapter is a monster at around 8,890 words! Whoops.. I was honestly expecting it to be this long...So, think of this as an apology for the long wait. Enjoy!**

**Note: I do not know what kind of framework makes up starships, so I used naval ships as basis for the construction and framework of _the Ambition._ I also do not know if money belts are a thing, but my hour researching currency in the Star Wars universe works revealed like two sentences on wallets, so yeah. Wallets exist, I guess...**

**EDIT: I decided to separate the two parts of chapter 1 to make it easier on the eyes. Carry on!**

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**_6 BBY_**

**_The repair docks of Iasu, Takodana..._**

Andromeda leaned forward as she reached a hand to paw at the inner workings of _the Ambition's_ auxiliary engine. She tilted her head back, pushing her shoulders down and canting her back up against the heavy pressure on top of her.

She wheezed airily, barely able to inhale or exhale with how tight this damn space was. She had crammed her upper body underneath the auxiliary engine, hips pinned tight against the metal without any room to wiggle or move around. This was going to be hell when she managed to crawl out of this.

She grit her teeth tighter around the electrical tape roll in her mouth, saliva gathering at the corners of her mouth as she managed to slide her arm away from her sides.

Her fingers, after some fumbling, finally grasped the door of the wiring compartment and swung it open with a quick motion. She moved her light forward to examine and grinned. Bingo, she thought as she spotted her target: an innocent enough looking wire, its bright red plastic covering seared open to reveal the copper insides. She flexed the flashlight in her grip, trying to get a better view of the damage.

That damn wire had never caused a problem before, in fact Andromeda didn't even know it existed. But after the rough landing she had two days ago, it suddenly started going on the fritz. It had managed to overload the engine and take down the entire electrical system. It was a wonder that it hadn't started a fire that would have killed her in a fiery blaze; Even more of a wonder that Andromeda was able to find the problem wire after only three tries of prying at her engine's inner workings.

She bit her lip as she braced her light-hand against the edge of the door as she pushed herself closer to the problem. Her nose brushed the wires and suddenly the sharp smell of burnt plastic hit her like a freight train.

She choked on the smell and coughed hard, trying to get the smell away from her. Her shoulders jerked and rammed her forehead into the box's edge. Sharp pain burst from her skull, pulsing in time with the foul words that poured out of her mouth from the pain.

If she kept cursing at this rate it would soon lose meaning, she bemoaned as the sharp ache in her forehead pulsed. _That was going to leave a mark._

She groaned in frustration. Andromeda loved her ship, dearly, and she knew how to repair basic things. Engine part goes kaput? She could do it. One of the gas line ruptures? She can fix that too. Hyperdrive fizzes out? She can repair that with a little bit of elbow grease and the adrenaline coming from the extreme terror of dying in space.

But the whole 'crawling-into-small-spaces-and-hoping-for-the-best?' Not her idea of an afternoon. Should have hired a mechanic, _would have_ hired a mechanic if she had any money to spare. She hadn't had a chance to head into the city to trade in her loot from the part, instead staying on the repair docks and making sure her ship was safe. Refilling the water tanks, flushing out old fuel out of the supply lines, the usual.

The people there were nice enough, all repairing their ships and trading goods and services at repair stalls and little huts set up by locals. It was...quaint, reminding her of exotic marketplaces and festivals where people set up stalls selling everything and anything under the sun.

But she was slightly discomforted by the fact that there were locals all around here, selling their goods and services to many criminals, criminals that weren't so against taking what they wanted and ditching. But then again, they had chosen to set up shop at the criminal repair docks; they probably thought it would be a good place to get some cash.

Andromeda's musings drifted into the backdrop of her mind as she nudged the cables apart, pulling the problem wire forward into her eye-line. Another meet-and-greet with the awful smell made her grimace and cough airily again.

Bringing up her free hand, she spat the tape in her mouth, soon stretching her mouth open and close with relief. She swiveled her jaw around before tightening her grip on the newly acquired tape in her hand, slightly damp from her spit. She scowled.

She stuffed the tape in the crook of her arm while she bit onto the strip and yanked, a piece of tape coming apart and sticking to her fingers. Wiggling in her place, she reached forward and took ahold of the wire in her hand.

Carefully, like she was dressing a wound, she wrapped the electrical tape around the wire. Her tongue stuck out in her concentration, fingers nimbly weaving around the wire. Finally, her scrap of tape was fully wrapped around the cord, her job complete.

She wriggled back, tilting her head back and feeling the arch in her neck as she surveyed her repair. The black tape stood out against the red plastic, but it appeared to be secure and tightly wound. Andromeda could still see the slight traces of burn marks on the wire, but most was covered. She hummed in confirmation. Maybe now her ship would work without putting the power on the fritz.

With her job complete, she moved onto phase two: Getting the hell out of this spot. With her flashlight held in her teeth and the tape snug against her arm, she secured her hands around a large pipe a above her and pushed.

It was a slow and uncomfortable process, but eventually she managed to haul herself out, panting. She heaved a breath, chest rising and falling.

She hauled herself up to a sitting position. Stretching her arms out and away from her to get the feeling back in them. She went to fix curly dark locks, pulled away from their usual resting spot on her shoulders to instead be wound in a loose fishtail braid that hung to her shoulder blades. She sadly noted that they smelled like burnt plastic. She'd have to shower again, she noted bitterly.

Her ship was still completely dark, oppressing black surrounding her so thickly that she could barely see her hand in front of her face. She shook her legs, feeling the pins and needles stutter in her legs as she stumbled into clumsily walking to the control panel. Shining her flashlight against the controls, she flicked the master control on.

This was the big moment, where shoving herself in a space that no man was meant to be in would pay off.

She flicked the power switch on and grabbed hold of the power gauge, pushing the lever slowly as auxiliary power switched on and connected to the engine.

The effect was immediate. The lights embedded in the ship flickered on and then slowly brightened. Light filled the room as various controls and monitors turned on across the engine room, illuminating every surface like the sun. Andromeda grinned, _Here we go!_

And then...

The lights started to spark. The engine grumbled and creaked, sparks flitting off the pistons as they stalled and quickened in rapid fire. Monitors beeped and flared from behind Andromeda. She whirled around to see the screens flash red with warning signals.

"No, no, no, no," Andromeda muttered as she scanned the sight before her. Cooling systems were down, fire warning was up, this was bad, bad bad...

The auxiliary engine _screeched_ as the lights flared and sparked. Andromeda clamped a hand over her ear as she pressed buttons and messed with gauges in hopes to make it _stop_. The lights blazed above her. It was going to blind her or burn out completely if this continued.

Andromeda finally crossed her fingers and slammed her palm onto the master override. Almost immediately, the lights shut off with a creak. The engine gave one last sad, pathetic whir before quieting to the silent hum. Darkness covered the room again.

Andromeda stood, huffing as she stared at the now completely dark control panel. And then she cursed.

She stormed down the hallway and down the open gangplank of her ship, grunting and glowering words that would make even a Hutt blush. She immediately lifted a hand to cover her eyes as she walked outside, grimacing at the bright natural light that poured in from between green lush branches of the trees around her.

A light breeze blew on the repair docks, picking up leaves and scraps of paper off the ground and carrying them in the wind. A scrap of paper floated around Andromeda's feet, the words "NOW" and 'ENLIST" emblazoned upon it in dark ink.

Andromeda stormed past a freighter, a simple AA-9 coruscant one, the silver hull mottled with laser fire and scorch marks. She stormed past the man repairing the landing gear, almost shoving him out of her path. A string of bocce curses followed her long stride.

Andromeda muttered under her breath while her hand tightened uncomfortably around the faulty tape. That stupid Miraluka trader was going to get her _foot_ in his _ass_ for this. He promised her that this would fix her electricity problem, swore by it actually. And now, it was worse than before.

No, she thought, shaking her head, her foot in his ass was too kind. She's strangle him _with his own damn tape._

The chatter of voices and haggling on the spacious docks sounded like flies buzzing around a dead carcass. Various small stalls and huts surrounded the docks like the borders of a river, covered in metal and plastic and everything under the sun. She heard shouting and haggling, particularly wincing at a sharp sound of cursing right next to her, a trader yelling at a smug mercenary as she waved her arms on the air.

Andromeda swerved past a small BD droid right in her way, beeping and whirring like it had a part ripped off. _The poor thing looked like it was going to have a conniption_, Andromeda's bro's furrowed as she sidestepped a loose docking cord, a repairman slowly lugging it toward his shuttle.

A gust of air blew past her, whipping her red coat across her body. She looked over her shoulder to see a twi'lek frantically waving her arms at her compatriot in the cockpit as the thrusters started to propel the yacht away from the dock. Andromeda almost felt like laughing at the sight, the two clearly inexperienced when it came to ships. But she walked past instead, walking past a charging port and snarling at someone who tried to push past her.

People were crowded everywhere in every nook and cranny of the docks, busying themselves and moving as fast as light speed with every action they took. People were zipping past with supplies, haggling, selling, repairing. Yelling at others, signaling more ships down, taking off, collecting supplies. They were all doing something, working for something. Unlike, Andromeda, who was still kriffing grounded.

Andromeda stomped forward with renewed vigor, ignoring the other ship's crews concerned or annoyed looks directed at her. She didn't care what they thought about her. She'd never see any of these people if she were lucky.

She finally spotted her target: a small inconspicuous stall decorated with draping sheets of assorted colors of every hue as they covered parts of the stall from prying eyes and scavengers . A messily scrawled, "Parts and Repairs" in basic was scratched onto a sign propped up against the table of the stall, with a few grease stains smearing the letters together. She couldn't see Rirfaih, but she did see some of the multi-colored sheets moving unnaturally, as if someone was behind them. She scowled and doubled her pace, now nearly sprinting over.

She should have used another repair stall in hindsight. Sure, he was the only one who actually accepted her clearly stolen goods, but that was beyond the point. She could have _at least_ seduced an owner of another stall to at least get some better goods, that's what any self-respecting con-artist would have done.

"Rirfaih!" She shouted, her voice harsh and filled with venom. Before she could shout another insult directly at his face, preferably about his graying hair and sagging _everything_ A small MSE droid zipped right into her calf. She immediately went tumbling forwards, barely able to catch herself on the edge of Rirfaih's table.

Eyes blazing, Andromeda slammed her hands on the makeshift table and turned around. "Control your **fucking** droid!" She near screamed.

Someone shouted back at her, but she couldn't make it out. It was probably something insulting, she should know. She flashed them the finger as she focused on her new task: Raging at that conman who owned this pathetic stall.

"That tape didn't work, if fact, it made it _worse_. So tell me what the kriff kinda shit you're trying to pull-" she leaned back on the table, looked over her shoulder, and stopped mid-rant.

Instead of Rirfaih, the aging gray-haired miraluka with a weathered scarf wrapped around where his eyes should be, there was a man. He was human like her, with skin as dark and warm as the leather vest he wore over his threadbare work shirt. His short black hair was styled into little twists of curls on the top of his head, curling in the wind.

Her eyes widened in tandem with his, both clearly not expecting the other.

"So, uh, you're not Rirfaih," she finally managed to grit out, embarrassment blooming on her olive cheeks.

Not-Rirfaih swallowed and nodded quickly, a nervous smile twitching the corner of his lips. He held a compressor in the middle of his palm, his surprisingly calloused hands twisted and shifting the gears of the part.

Andromeda stared at him as her brain tried to slow down and pick up information. His calloused hands meant worker, and coupled with the nervous tick meant that he had to be some sort of apprentice or helper. He would have been used to customers if he ran the stall or was a partner, not startled at someone yelling at his direction.

Something heavy clanged behind her, followed by the sounds of cursing from the poor repairman. Judging by the way the kid in front of her practically leaped out of his skin made her definitely side with the whole nervous thing. Kid looked like he wasn't used to all this noise.

She cocked her head, slowly, as she surveyed him. He only swallowed anxiously and made no move to stand up for himself or state his business. Probably more used to local repairs, she mused as she watched his eyes search out for something in the crowd, perhaps a friendly and familiar face among the stalls and people.

Her dark and turbulent mood quieted to a more gray and contained color in the backdrop of her mind as her curiosity got the better of her. He reminded her of the stray cats and other creatures of her homeworld, skirting around alleyways and buildings in fear of every sound.

"Do you know where Rirfaih is?" she finally said, her usual rasp lowered to a more containable pitch but still perceptible above the commotion of the stalls. Her shouting had obviously startled him, perhaps speaking lower would get her information. Specifically why he was there and not Rirfaih.

He nodded, the tension in his shoulder tightening. "Yeah.." he started, his voice light and quiet. He cleared his throat and still not meeting her eyes, he continued. "I-I'm his helper, Naz?"

"Naz?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Naz. Yes, I'm Naz. Naz Zoler." He stumbled over his words, fingers still running over the compressor.

She hummed, looking at him as if expecting him to continue. She didn't really expect him to say anything more, but often times people felt they needed to fill the silence if the other was quiet. A trick she picked up over the years.

Naz looked down, before his eyes darted upwards to meet hers. She could see his nerves getting the better of him as he blurted out, "I'm usually not manning the stall..I'm usually scrapping things away from the docks, and..and he said he was sick? So here I am!" His words stumbled and topped on top of each other as chaotic as the racehorses on Canto Blight.

Andromeda nodded, fighting to keep the snarl off her lips. That asshole who ran the stall must have ra; away after selling her faulty repairs knowing that she was a criminal and would definitely make him pay. Probably feared reprisal from her and instead left some random kid who worked for him to take the brunt of her anger like a sacrificial lamb.

What did he think she was? Some kind of animal that would be satiated the minute she tore into someone for being wrongly taken advantage of? Sure, she could respect the con of faulty tools: She was a conwoman after all. She had even used the con a number of times, But at least she owned up to her cons when was discovered, not run away and leave someone else to get eaten alibe. She had standards.

Of course, she didn't tell the poor soul in front of her any of that. She only smiled at him, trying to loosen the tension from her shoulders and jaw to appear more welcoming. Sugar is sweeter than vinegar, and all that crap.

"Sorry for yelling," she started, guiltily looking down at the tape in her hands, "Thought you were your boss. The man swindled me out of a proper repair."

Naz nodded, continuing to fiddle with the part in his hand. "Yeah..yeah he does that a lot. I try and tell him no, but he does so anyway," he looked away as if lost in thought. He finally came back to himself and added a quick, "sorry."

Andromeda tsked and looked to the side, watching the sheets of the stall flutter in the wind. "Not your fault, love. Just your boss's." She grinned at him.

Naz almost seem flustered at her large smile and words, eyes quickly darting back to his hands as he stubbornly kept his eyes locked on anything but her.

"What's the tape for?" He finally said, one of his fingers to brush against the tape's edge. Andromeda loosened her grip on it, allowing him to ease it out of her hand as he examined it.

"A wire in the auxillary engine. Covering was seared open, probably from disrepair. Been setting my entire ship's power on the fritz," she leaned forward, propping her forearms up on the table to lean in closer. "It was a bitch to get under the engine and repair it. Pretty sure my organs are all squished together now."

Naz had chuckled at that, a low soft sound that Andromeda could barely hear with all the other noise around them. He finally set the roll down as he combed back his hair. "This tape is faulty, see this?" He pointed to some of the grooves underneath the surface of the tape. "Its similar to copper. It..it conducts electrify instead of nullifying it. It could have burnt out some of the wiring around it."

Andromeda winced. "That sounds bad."

Naz nodded. "Yeah, yeah its pretty bad." He admitted sheepishly, "You may either have to get a different kind of electrical tape or replace the wire altogether."

Andromeda grimaced in pain for her money purse. Replacing the whole wire sounded expensive, she probably didn't have enough credits in her budget for that.

She looked down at the tape, hands clenching into fists in tune with her frustration. "Sure you don't have some magic repair stick back there?" She mirthlessly chuckled. Naz shook his head.

He pushed the tape back over to her, "You may have to go into the city and search out for better repairs...I, I don't think any stall here has any of the good stuff for your ship."

Andromeda cursed under her breath, then looked apologetically at Naz's direction. She didn't have exactly have the time nor money to saunter around the city hoping to find some kind of magic repair stuff to fix her beloved _Ambition_.

She could just fly without electricity, she decided. She still has an engine! She could just use the engine, and do the calculations for hyperspace, and the calculations for flying, and just manually do everything...

Andromeda was debating how much math she actually knew how to do when Naz spoke again. "I can take you there. To the city-to get the stuff for repairs. If you need. You look confused."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. Naz immediately stammered out, "Not confused! More like you don't know where the city is, or what is in the city, or-never mind." Naz pursed his lips and busied himself with shoving random engine parts and tools into the box on the table.

Andromeda stared at him, cocking her head to side. She had been to Takodana, but she had always frequented the bars and seedy places in Iasu, never the business section of town, And she sure as hell needed to get her ship back in the air as fast as she could to keep herself in business.

"Sure," Andromeda finally replied, voice light.

Naz jerked and looked up at her, eyes wide like he wasn't expecting her to actually consider his offer. Before he could say anything, like take his offer back perhaps, she motioned with her hand for him to follow her.

"Let's get a move on, huh?" She looked over her shoulder, "Gotta get my ship in the air, and besides, I have time to run a few errands as well."

Naz only stared at her. "Errands?"

Andromeda motioned for him to follow her, to get out of the stall. "I have some places to visit, things to steal, stuff to buy. Now, come on!"

The man in front of her looked like he short-circuited when she mentioned stealing. Geez, this guy was a mess, she almost felt bad for what he was about to see as he accompanied her.

Almost...

Andromeda scoffed, hoping that Naz would shake out of whatever funk he was in as she started to walk away. Naz frantically called after her, "Now?"

Andromeda laughed and kept walking. "Now. Get your ass over here so you can pay me back for your boss's shitty help."

Apparently Naz couldn't argue with that, as within moments he was at her side, looking anxiously around him as as they wove through the crowds and shuttles scattered around them.

Naz looked over at her and smiled, something Andromeda only halfway returned. _Damn, he was really small,_ she noticed as he tried to keep up with her long stride. She faintly wondered how tall he was when-

That _bitch_ mouse droid zoomed in front of her again, slamming into her ankle. Andromeda stumbled and went tumbling into the ground.

She cursed. She was going to _kill_ that droid.

* * *

**Continue on for part 2!**


	3. CHAPTER 1, PT II

**EDIT: I decided to separate the two parts of chapter 1 to make it easier on the eyes. Carry on!**

* * *

**_The city of Iasu, Takodana..._**

It had only been a few hours since Naz left with Andromeda and he was already starting to feel the inklings of hindsight creeping up on him.

Going out for the electrical tape wasn't too bad. Sure, it was a bit awkward with Naz stumbling over his words every five seconds and Andromeda still trying to find her way around the city, but overall it wasn't painful. It was actually...kinda nice. As they sidestepped vendors and other city-goers, she fondly recounted stories of exciting and exotic adventures traveled on her old freighter. It was exciting, hearing about dangerous adventures he would never participate in.

Naz had noticed Andromeda dipping her fingers into people's pockets and retreating with credits or coin purses throughout the day, but he hadn't minded: lots of people he knew on the docks and on his street pick-pocketed. He even did so to get enough for a measly protein ration at the store. Besides, many of the people that got their stuff stolen were rich pricks who didn't know a compressor from a hyperdrive valve; they weren't going to miss it.

With their errand was over, Andromeda had looked at him over her shoulder and invited him to join her as she visited some bars and 'borrowed' some cash from some 'friends'. Bars were never Naz's thing, alcohol even less, but somehow he found himself suckered into going anyway. Maybe it was the way she patiently waited for him to say what he wanted to even as his words caught in his throat. Maybe it was the way she looked at him like a real person, an equal rather than just a lowly mechanic trying to get by.

And the way she smiled back at him when he said, "yes" made him feel a warmth he hadn't felt in a long while.

Now, he had ended up in a hole-in-the-wall bar crammed head-to-toe in patrons of every species and gender. Playful Jazz music floated from a band stuffed in the corner while dim red lights bathed the crowds gathered in the cantina. It was a wonder he got a small booth; nearly every other seat in the place was packed full.

A howl of victory sounded in the booth behind him, jolting Naz out of his reverie. He winced as the man's compatriots cheered him on to continue drinking, chanting in various languages that flew over Naz's head and only made him grind his teeth harder. An ache was already starting to build up in the muscles of his jaw.

His fingers drummed against the edge of the table, eyes lighting on the multicolored bar in front of him in search of something to occupy himself. A woman, a togruta in plated armor, begrudging clinked drinks with her companion. Naz frowned.

He didn't have a drink, never really enjoyed drinking in the first place, despite what the other repair workers and Rirfaih always told him. But was it exactly respectable to be at a bar without something alcoholic in his hands? Maybe he should get something while Andromeda finished her

-Andromeda pushed her way through the crowd, deftly side-stepping a heaving patron and sliding their wallet out of the back pocket as she patted them on the back in mock-kindness. As she jutted her chin out to get a better look at the crowds before her, she slid the wallet in her ripped pants before finally stalking away, her coat's red tails following her like a shadow-

_Errands_.

His leg started to bounce underneath the table, the toe of his two-sizes-too-small boot catching on something sticky on the floor. He dimly hoped it wasn't blood.

Despite the adrenaline that came from the slight thrill of doing things he never would have done if he was thinking straight, he wanted to go back to the security and safety of his small shared tenement on the outskirts of the repair docks. There, no one bothered him or asked him questions as he holed himself up in that tiny tiny apartment repairing spare engine parts until his fingers bled.

One of the musicians started a solo, the high-pitch of their instrument sounding more like a grate scraping along the floor of a starship then music. The noise was too intense, too loud, rushing over him with the delicacy of a faulty hyperdrive or a compressed engine. Everyone was talking all at once, looking at him, talking about him -

_No, they weren't talking about him,_ he told himself as he sunk back in his seat, his fingers still drumming nervously to a beat he couldn't place. Hell, he thought ruefully, no one really ever noticed him if he didn't have a wrench in his hand or if he wasn't shoved somewhere odd in a starship.

He was startlingly out of place here, in a place where all the patrons were strong and powerful and self-assured. He wasn't any of those things and never would be. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to come along with Andromeda; he didn't want to embarrass her, make the one person who wanted to know him regret it...

He sighed and pressed his palms to his eyes, grounding himself. He straightened his frazzled and anxious thoughts like wires inside an engine, laying them and setting them in order to prevent tangles or kinks. He recited the facts inside his head, listed them out and recited them just as he would with any problem he faced.

She asked him to attend, honestly and whole-heartedly. When he had started to protest, she assured him that he could leave at anytime or turn her down on her offer. She even said that she didn't want to make him feel suckered into anything, only that she wanted to show him something fun for helping her out in a pinch.

His resolve hardened. If she could wander the streets and listen to his ramblings then he could sit and stay here for her, and for himself. She looked like she was having fun with her 'errands, and besides, he could just sit here and people-watch, he did it enough from the booth at the repair docks.

Naz removed his hands from his eyes just as Andromeda started walking over to his little seclude booth. Naz found his breath taken at how easily she wove through crowds and smiled at the right people before she slipped the rings off their fingers. She was everything he wasn't: confidence and charisma.

It was dizzying how much he wanted to have that kind of confidence in himself.

"Naz!" She cheered as she slid into the booth, her knees clumsily knocking with his. He shuffled back in his seat to allow her to sprawl halfway on the seat and on the table as she tried to fit herself into the booth. It finally ended up with one of her legs pulled up to her chest while the other finally settled on the floor. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, rummaging through her pockets to reveal- an array of glittering jewelry and charms, all worth hundreds of credits sitting in the palm of her hands.

"You got all this?" He asked, breathlessly and dumbstruck at the sight of her plunder, worth more than anything that has ever crossed his palms in his lifetime of working.

'Yep," she sighed, biting at her chapped lips as she closed a fist around the glittering collection, ending his transfixed stare. Without much warning, she soon started to shove her stolen goodsdown her dark blouse and into her brassiere.

Naz choked at the sight before him, quickly ducking his head to offer her the slightest bit of privacy. He could feel his face starting to heat up like a blocked radiator, his cheeks and ears uncomfortably warm under her state. She only chuckled slightly under her breath as she adjusted the neckline of her shirt, seemingly amused by his response.

"You want a drink?" She asked when her task was complete, propping a gloved hand on the table and motioned to empty space in front of him.

Naz's eyes flicked away from his lap and back to her once more, lips quirked in an anxious half-smile.

Naz was scared of a great many things, one of them telling people he didn't drink. Often times the reaction was, 'You should try!' Or, 'What's the harm?' One time it was even a, 'What, you think you're better than me because you don't drink? Think you're moral, pure?' which had soon culminated in the end of that friendship. Who knew what Andromeda's reaction would be? Try and manipulate him into drinking or just flat-out threaten him?

Naz swallowed, his throat dry. "No, no thank you," he drummed his fingers again as he worked to get his words out of his head and into the space between them. "I'm not a fan of alcohol...or-or drinking in general..." He trailed off, letting the words hang in the air.

She blinked, eyebrows scrunching together, before she finally shrugged. "Cool," and leaned back in her seat. And that was that.

Naz sighed, shoulder drooping with the relief that she was okay with his choice. He leaned back against the seat, now feeling a lot more comfortable than before in his more relaxed state.

He thought she was going to stand back up and disappear into the crowds again since her check-in with him was complete, but instead she continued to sit, head tilted back as she surveyed the crowds before her like they were there for her entertainment.

She caught him staring openly, her eyes flicking back to him as she smirked just the slightest before she turned her attention back on the crowds. Clearing her throat, she stretched an arm back across the booth's seat backing as she spoke again. "I wanna do something for you, for helping me out in the city today. And since you don't want any kind of booze," she sighed, "I'm gonna give you an alternative form of payment."

Naz raises his eyebrow. "Oh?"

Andromeda chuckled, her dark eyes locked on a small party chatting nearby the band, probably keeping them in mind for a future theft. "You can pick any person, anyone in this cantina," she pointed to the crowd, "and I'll steal from them."

Naz blinked owlishly. "Anyone?" He whispered, looking now at the crowds before him.

Andromeda nodded her confirmation, sliding her leg away from her chest to instead rest on the floor. "Yep," she popped the 'P' as she spoke, "Any person, and I'll rob them, doll. Whatever's in their wallet is yours." She looked down at him through her eyelashes, an easy smirk sliding on her face as she waited for his answer.

He blinked, seemingly dumbstruck over the weight of her offer. She really was letting him, him of all people, have a choice in her job. A taste in something illegal. Never in his right mind would he had ever actually considered taking her offer, and yet...

His eyes left hers to hover over the crowd, watching the people talk and gather around him. There were many people he could choose, wealthy travelers sitting in the back with women on either side of them, to the local merchants gathering to celebrate a job well done. So many people, so many choices. He started to feel a bit dizzy with the things he could do, yet giddy.

Maybe Naz was a little overeager, maybe he was feeling reckless, maybe he liked the way Andromeda looked at him in the dim lights, Like she was seeing something in him that he couldn't see for himself.

Maybe that was why he turned back to her and shyly pointed to his target. She raised an eyebrow as she followed where his finger pointed: a man covered in shining red and black beskar armor, sitting at the bar and nursing a glass of brandy.

The man screamed bounty hunter, with his broad shoulders and wide arms and the walking arsenal strapped to his person. A Mandalorian assault rifle was strapped over his shoulders, partially obscuring the view of his distinctive helmet. He was hunched over his drink, head tilted downward as he made no move to talk with the other patrons or socialize.

Andromeda was silent, not moving or blinking as she narrowed her eyes and studied her soon-to-be victim. Before Naz could begin panicking about being too overeager with her offer, she whistled low with disbelief.

"Damn," she laughed as she rolled her shoulders back, "You're really trying to get me killed huh?" She gave in last laugh, seeming to find the matter a lot more entertaining than Naz did.

Her arms swung as she stood up and slid the elastic contains her braid onto her wrist. She shook her hair out of her braid, fixing some of her messy dark curls to cover her eyes and cheekbones.

Her fingers moved to slip her leather gunbelt off her waist, dropping it clumsily next to Naz. He uneasily stared at the incriminating weapon when the nozzle of her blaster came a bit too close to his leg for comfort. He was carefully moving it away from him with the tip of his pinkie when his hand was covered by her bright red coat, folded delicately in a manner not suiting the rough ways of the woman he had gotten to know.

He looked up to see Andromeda almost partially transformed, her hair covering her eyes and neck, looking almost meek and demure. Andromeda winked at him and slowly leaned forward into his space, hovering over his ear. He shivered.

"Keep this safe for me, yeah?" She whispered lowly, breath hot on his neck, and then she was off, weaving through the crowds once more. Naz watched, his heartbeat fast in his chest with anticipation. With the way she looked over her shoulder slyly, he knew he was in for a show,

_It was like watching her transform into another person,_ he noted as he watched her slip into the crowds and into her element. Her posture, once proud and tall, bent at the waist and curled inward as if shielding herself from unknown danger. She pulled her arms around herself, rubbing at her elbows and sides as she cast sharp glances around the room.

She mock-stumbled a bit, catching herself on the arm another person and smiling anxiously at them even as they scowled. She moved ever so closed to the bar, her hand finding its way to her neck as it started to rub furiously. A pretend nervous tick, he realized. Incredible...

She was now in clear sights of her target, only a few feet behind him. She jerked her head to the side as if she was witnesses something startling, stepped forward, and her foot snagged against someone's boot. She went stumbling forwards, right into the Mandalorian's back.

Naz's breath hitched in his throat. Did-did she really just land into him? That was her plan? She was going to get shot-the man was a Mandalorian! He bit down harshly on his lip, leg starting to bounce again.

He shouldn't have picked that man for his target, should've picked one of the sleazier, easily distracted types instead of a man who made his living catching criminals. Naz was going to be responsible for her death, dear god...

The man in question turned over his shoulder to see Andromeda clutching her nose, eyes watering from the most definite bruise from the beskar. She started to talk fast and quick, continually looking to the side or she shoes while she rubbed at her face. Naz couldn't make out what she was saying from all the way where he was, she looked like she was apologizing, frantically trying to appease the very dangerous man.

The man only cocked his head to the side, watching her. The helmet made it near impossible to know if he was saying anything about how he was going to rip out her innards and kill her right at that moment or simply let her go. Finally, in a painfully long moment, he jutted his head towards a crowd of people gathered by the band and turned back to his drink. Andromeda smiled gratefully, and with one last shy wave, she was walking away with her life in tow and disappeared into the crowds.

He sighed, relief flooding into him as he saw he walk away. She survived, she did it. She stole from a Mandalorian, a _Mandalorian_. Incredible...He was starting to look around to spot her when suddenly she appeared in front of him again, grinning wider than he had seen her all night.

"Damn, that was easier than I thought!" She slid into the seat again, knees knocking again with his as she snagged her jacket back from him. "Must have been a nice Mando-didn't know they could be nice..."

She mused over that for awhile as she got herself back together, taking back her gunbelt to Naz's great relief and strapping it back around her waist and thigh. She slipped her coat back on gratefully, popping the red collar around her neck with a fond sigh. With one careful scan around her, she reached into the neckline of her shirt and withdrew a small, simple money-belt and bounty puck.

Andromeda winked at Naz and bowed her head as she held the wallet in her hands like it was a crown. "Your bounty, sir," she sniffed haughtily, her voice stretched high into one of the snooty accents from the core worlds.

He laughed, a sound he wasn't used to hearing, and took the wallet from her outstretched hands giddily. She smirked back at him and stretched back in the seat, propping her feet up on the table as she watched him admire his stolen food.

_It wasn't too heavy_, he noted, feeling the credit-chips press against the leather of the belt. They had to be Imperial credit chips if he guessed correctly, loaded with a lot of money if a bounty hunter could afford to crash so little. This could pay for at least a hundred rations, maybe even some real meals. He could actually afford boots that fit him, meals that didn't leave him starving, maybe even a new tenement...

Naz was about to open the belt to count his new wealth when movement caught his eye: Shiny beskar gleamed as the Mandalorian, the con-victim, shifting around in his seat and patting his belt. Before Naz could properly start panicking, the Mandalorian's helmet jerked up and lit upon on Naz and Andromeda in their little booth.

_Oh no, oh no, oh shit_

"An-" Naz couldn't breathe, hands scrambling to hide the stolen goods in his pants pocket while he pawed at Andromeda's shoulders all at the same time.

"Yeah, doll?" Andromeda asked, playing around with the bounty puck and flipping it around in her fingers, blissfully unaware of the danger they were soon to be neck-deep in.

The bounty hunter ripped himself away from his seat, practically snarling as he strode over. The crowds, which Naz has half-heartedly hoped would protect them from him, parted around him like water too afraid to even think about hindering the bounty hunter on his warpath. Even they were smart enough not to mess with a Mandalorian because apparently Naz had lost his self-preservation today.

"I think..I-I think he noticed.." Naz looked down and soon started to try and slide under the table to hide. Could he fit under it without being noticed? No time like the present to find out-

Andromeda cocked an eyebrow. "Noticed what-"

"_Hey_." The two both jerked in their seats, turning to see the Mandalorian standing before them, radiating anger so thick that Naz felt choked by it. Naz whimpered, _this was it, this was how he died-_

Andromeda's eyes lighted on the visor of her victim, tightening with recognition. Then, almost bewilderingly, her posture loosened as she smiled lazily up at him.

"Caraya, you scared me!" Her voice was different than the one she used with Naz, harsher and crude as she emphasized the consonants in her words. She brushed some of her hair away from her face, putting more of her feature on display as she leaned back in her seat. ""What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on a defenseless woman?"

Naz said nothing, thought about nothing, as he focused on pushing himself farther away from the bounty hunter and into the seat behind him. His eyes frantically darted around, trying to look for an easy escape that wouldn't immediately kill him. _Maybe he could slide under the table, or just climb over the seat backing and make a run for it-_

The Mandalorian said nothing, only continued looming before them in a silent demand.

Andromeda mock-gasped, placing a hand on her chest as if offended. "Now, now, that's rude! I not look like I'm weak and helpless," Andromeda smirked up at him, "But I am definitely no match for a Mandalorian"

She laughed, as if privy to an inside joke between the two of them. Naz realized in a split second what she was doing. She was trying to make herself into a new persona, someone different to the one the Mandalorian had encountered in hopes that he would think he misidentified the thief. Smart, that is if he was an idiot.

Andromeda sighed and sidled up to Naz, "Now, what is your trouble, sweetheart? I'm just trying to show my friend here a good time~"

Before Naz could stutter or protest, she had slid an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in tight against her. Naz made a sound he would later deny was a squeak, but she only gripped him a bit tighter; a silent command to shut up and 'go with the plan'

The Mandalorian paused for a beat, chest rising and falling in the silence. He only held out his hand in a silent command, still fixing Andromeda with what Naz could imagine an incredibly dirty look. Andromeda blinked up at him, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"What, you wanna dance? I'm sorry, but as you can see I'm taken-"

"My wallet," the bounty hunter hissed, syllables short and raw. He motioned with his hand once more, pushing it closer to the two of them. His other hand gripped the edge of the table hard, effectively caging them in. Naz felt like he was going to be sick, _he shouldn't have come, never should have told Andromeda to steal from him-_

When Andromeda didn't move or even blink at her command, the Mandalorian stepped forward again, jabbing a gloved finger towards Andromeda.

She stood up in a rush, pushing herself away from the table and into his space. "Listen, pal-" she snarled, her teeth bared, "I don't know what you're talking about, so I suggest you stop accusing me of things that I didn't do."

"That's a lie," the man spat back. Andromeda's face only soured more, hands tightening at her sides.

_God,_ Naz thought, _were they actually going to get in afight?_ His fingers found the money-belt tucked in his pants, the material cool against his overheated skin.

Naz had to give it back, no matter how much he needed it. He didn't want to die in a cantina, especially not this one. And he didn't want Andromeda getting into a fight because of him. No way would he let her take the fall for him, he could handle whatever happened afterwards with or without her approval. He had just opened his mouth to say something when-

A polite cough sounded near the three of them, effectively cutting off whatever was going to come out of Andromeda's mouth next. Each turned around to spot the intruder of the conversation and stopped.

The man reeked of criminal activity, from his clean-pressed jacket to shiny black shoes that didn't belong in the cantina; he belonged more in a lounge for the elite, the sophisticated. He sat in the booth next to Naz's, arm resting on the side of the booth as he watched the three of them with dark eyes. His blonde hair was cut short in the military fashion, gleaming red in the lights of the club as if each strand of hair was dipped in blood.

When none of them made any move, he only smiled at them calmly, cold eyes fixed on them as if they were children entertaining themselves while the adults discussed real matters. Naz shivered. He had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling about this man. What had he gotten himself into?

Andromeda didn't make any move to greet or acknowledge the man. She only smiled tensely in his direction, lips barely even moving. "What do you want?," she snapped, eyes not even leaving the Mandalorian for a second. The Mandalorian seemed intent on returning the favor, glaring right back at her in two-fold.

The man only chuckled. "Now, now, you two can play-fight another time...I need to talk to you two." His eyes then lighted on Naz, who was still partially embedded into the seat backing. "Or three, I suppose."

Naz swallowed and darted his eyes away to lock on the crowds in the cantina. People were whispering, eyes sneakily peering over at the four of them and gossiping with their companions. This was bad, very bad..

"Talk?" The Mandalorian cocked his head while Andromeda parroted back, "Two?" The two then looked at eachother, Andromeda scowling as they nearly looked like they were going to fight again.

"Yes, talk to the three of you," he nodded to Naz, smiling again before looking back at Andromeda and the Mandalorian, too busy sizing each other up to actually pay attention to the man's patronizing glare at the lack of attention.

"About what?" The Mandalorian grit out.

"A job."

Now, Naz was intrigued. Apparently the other two were as well, Andromeda finally looking away to take the man in for the first time while the Mandalorian took a step back from the conwoman to stare.

The man chuckled, waving his hand. "You are curious, no? You have all the right to be, but there are too many ears here," he tilted his chin the people all around them, leaning in and whispering amongst eachother. "Come with me, I'll take you to my friend."

"Who's your friend? A gang leader?" Andromeda leaned back as she crossed her arms.

The man nodded again, smiling once more. "You will find out in due time, dear. But, this is the only time my friend can meet for a full cycle, and he _really_ wants to see you both." As he spoke, his smile took on a more darker turn, his eyes cold and jaw locked. The threat went noticed.

_Don't turn this offer down or you'll regret it._

Andromeda's eyebrows furrowed as her lips pursed. Her eyes flicked over to Naz's and held his gaze. It was a silent question, "are you okay with this?"

Naz shouldn't have been okay with it, should've asked for a ride home and the end of this whole affair. But this was some of the most excitement he had ever had on Takodana, the most excitement in his life. The most excitement he would ever have on his life as long as he was trapped on this planet, always watching ships and travelers but never having the money to leave.

He deserved to have an adventure, at least a little bit of one before he went back to fixing engines and diving into wires for the rest of his foreseeable life.

Naz looked at her and nodded, very deliberately, not looking away. Andromeda paused, and then one of the most honest expressions flitted across her face before settling back into the confident bravado Andromeda always wore.

_He wanted to see how far he could go,_ he breathed. _He wanted to see how much he could pack into this day before it was all gone._

"Me and him," she jutted a finger to Naz, "are in. Don't know about-

"Okay," The Mandalorian cut her off, crossing his arms and locking eyes with the man. Andromeda huffed and muttered something under her breath, probably something offensives by the way the Mandalorian turned away from her.

The man only smiled back before slowly standing up in a fluid, lazy motion befitting a cat who just got the cream. He turned on his shoulder and lead them out of the club and into the night.

* * *

**And that concludes our very first chapter! We've met some of our main characters, got our inciting incident, now its on to meet the rest of the crew and even the mysterious imperial officer! The next chapter should be, if I get all my make-up work done in time, hopefully up in two weeks-latest three. Let me know your comments, theories, random ideas, song choices in the reviews, I love to read them all! See you later!**

_\- __**Rain**_


	4. CHAPTER 2

**Hey everyone and welcome back to Chapter 2! I'm excited to show off this chapter as here is where we finally meet our inciting character, the Imperial officer!**

**I'm so sorry this update is much later than I expected. It was supposed to go up like two weeks ago...then some Things (Coronavirus, quarantine, online school…) happened that were Out of My Control, hooray.**

**BUT! I'm participating in April's NaNoWriMo competition, so hopefully I'm gonna bang out a ton of chapters these next few weeks. I'm pretty pumped.**

**With everything going on these days,I hope all of you stay safe, healthy, and well-informed. I hope for the best for you all, please stay safe and Stay Home!**

**Okay, with that out of the way, the update!**

* * *

**_The outskirts of Iasu..._**

Endrik liked to say he was a man with a grip on his emotions; but as the night wore on and his meeting with this 'friend' appeared no closer than when he first took the offer, his patience was starting to wear thin.

They had been driving for awhile now. The busy city streets and crowded marketplaces had turned into lush trees and forest, green leaves covering up the night sky above. Sounds of haggling drifted into the sounds of the wild nightlife reminiscent of his home.

But they were still driving, and Endrik was starting to get on edge.

The company didn't make it better. He knew who Andromeda was, recaling bounty pucks with her name on it offered all over the outer rim. He had been tempted occasionally to take up her bounty (It was a nice bounty) but other things had always taken precedence. Something for the clan would always come up, a different bounty with a higher payroll would pop up in his vision, and she had just faded into his memory.

Until she stole his credits. Now he wants to deliver her to the nearest bounty hunter's guild and cash in on whatever bounty was open for her. And get her back for stealing his money belt.

Her little nervous companion didn't make it any better. The two had been whispering like schoolgirls in the backseat of their speeder, harshly muttering things to him as she leaned back against the seat, hand hanging off the edge.

That was another thing, They took the backseat, leaving him sitting next to their driver and informer. He knew why she did it: Self-preservation. She wanted him to sit next to the driver. If he turned out to be another bounty hunter intent on killing them or turning them in for a hefty sum, Andromeda had the easier exit. He would have respected the move if he wasn't busy counting the ways to get her back for stealing his wallet.

Endrik hadn't let go of his blaster the entire time, hands flexed rigidly against his holster in preparation. Better to be prepared than caught off-guard. His eyes kept scanning the horizon, searching for some familiar landmark in the deep Takodana forest. He may not have visited Takodana often, but maybe he'd recognize where their informer was driving them.

The man had stayed silent for most of the drive, only pausing to introduce himself as Valo as he led them out of the dingy club. Otherwise, he kept his mouth shut, eyes narrowed as he concentrated on steering the car down the muddy forest path.

Thunder rumbled in the skies above them, dark clouds blocking out the sky. Looked like it would rain soon, it was uncharacteristic of Takodana to be so sunny for so long.

He had been on Takodana for a standard week, searching for a bounty jumper wanted by the Hutts. The job was supposed to be simple enough, except the bounty hadn't surfaced anywhere on the planet. He wasn't near any of the bars or clubs or markets anywhere on Iasu or the surrounding cities. The bounty must have planet-hopped. Of course, not having the puck made it a bit harder to look for his bounty, Endrik thought, scowling again.

Perhaps he'd take her blaster, steal whatever loot she had taken in the club and keep it for himself.

Valo turned sharply on the forest road. Andromeda cursed behind him as he felt her roll in her seat. "I can _walk_ better than this," she muttered, kicking the side of the speeder. Endrik chuckled under his breath.

"Watch how you're driving," she snapped, voice harsh as she tried to readjust herself in her seat. Valo said nothing, only his lips tweaking in just the slightest smirk as his response.

Despite being rolled into the side of the car, it didn't stop Andromeda from harshly barking something to her companion, kicking her feet against Endrik's seat as she muttered, "Fine, fine, do what you want." Her companion mumbled something back,, shifting forward in his seat.

A finger carefully rapped against the pauldron on Endrik's shoulder. Endrik turned his head slowly to see the skittish-looking man hovering over the edge of Endrik's seat, hands latched on the seat behind his head. Endrik cocked his head.

The man smiled shakily like a deer caught in headlights, before he finally pulled something out of his pocket. Endrik's eyebrows rose.

It was his money belt, the one Andromeda has stolen. To say he wasn't expecting a thief to return his stuff was an understatement- he was already trying to plan a way to get it back.

"Here, this-this is yours," The man practically thrust the wallet forward, hands trembling. He bit his lip and looked downward, still inching the wallet towards the rightful owner.

Endrik stared at him for a long while, trying to discern his intentions. Thief's don't return their haul, especially not one as self-absorbed as Andromeda. He could see her arms crossed and lips pursed, exasperated with the scene before her.

It had to have been him, the man before him, who wanted to return the wallet. The reason why evaded Endrik. Guilt maybe?

"Caraya-Take the damn wallet, Mando!" Andromeda called out from the backseat, one hand clutching the bridge of her nose tightly.

Endrik stared just a minute longer before he finally took the walet from the outstretched hand, sliding it back on his belt. The man breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Okay good, that's good," he murmured, brushing his hands along his ratty brown vest. "I'm Naz," he blurted out after a short while, "Naz Zoler."

Endrik grunted, dipping his head down in a nod.

"Endrik," he offered back, before turning back in his seat. Naz nodded and smiled back, settling back in his seat, his good deed for the day complete. Silence settled over the speeder once again, only broken by the whirring of the engine below them.

"It's good you two are getting along," Valo called out, "It'll be easier in the long-run."

"Long-run?" Endrik turned, eyebrows furrowed.

Valo said nothing.

Endrik scowled. "Shouldn't we know the terms of what we're being offered?"

"You will, when you arrive and meet my friend," Valo shrugged his shoulders, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, "He'll explain the terms of the offer."

Valo laughed at his statement, as if knowing an inside joke Endrik wasn't privy to, eyes glinting dangerously. Endrik frowned, about to say something when Valo turned the steering wheel and slow the gas. Up ahead was one of the most lavish houses Endrik had ever seen.

It was like the whole thing was made of glass. The house spread across the forest clearing like a fine mist on a lake, settling itself calmly against the trees. Raised white pillars elevated the house just above the brush level, keeping the house safely nestled in the trees. It shone like a temple statue in the night, reflecting Takodana's night sky. It was something straight out of Coruscant.

Andromeda wolf-whistled, long and low, as Valo slowly pulled in the driveway. Valo just smirked at their reactions, calmly cutting the engine and sliding out of the speeder. The rest of them followed suit,staring up at the luxurious house.

The stairs were made of that same white material as the house, shining even brighter in the moonlight now that they were closer. Naz was staring openly in wonder, mouth agape as he ran his hands up railings.

"You didn't mention that your friend was rolling in dough," Andromeda's eyes continued to look around her, staring hard at the sleek glass walls and looked as if she was contemplating living here, like she owned the place.

"I thought it was implied," Valo calmly replied, brushing spare traces of dust off his suit jacket. Andromeda scoffed, shaking her head as Valo swung open the door.

The interior of the house matched the outside, Endrik noted. Same crisp white walls, simple modern paintings and glass lined the walls. Valo led them down a hallway, still as crisp and clean as everything around them.

"He's just down the hall," Valo's footsteps clacked against the solid white floors, "The others are already here."

There it was again. Others. Most bounty jobs required just one bounty hunter, not multiple. Was the man collecting a team?

_Or_, Endrik bristled, _was he planning on killing them and turning them in the minute he saw them?_

They arrived at a living room, white and clean like the rest of the house. Two couches sat across from each other, with chairs spread out throughout the room. The forest was visible from wherever you sat, the green nightlife contrasting with the bright interior.

The people situated in the room, however, stood out from the clean set-up. They were all criminals, that was apparent from their armored clothing and visible blasters. Endrik's hackles rose as he counted (number) of them. They hadn't seemed to notice him, all wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"What's the big deal with Bpfassh? It's no Coruscant," a voice rose over the rest, belonging to a chiss man who was spread out on one of the couches, legs kicked up on the leg rest while he pillowed his choppy-haired head on his arms.

Another man scoffed, leaning back in his seat. "Coruscant is nothing like Bpfassh," he scoffed, blowing out a puff of smoke from his cigarette, "For good reason." A female Falleen nodded her approval, fixing the edge of her dark dress against her crossed legs.

"Now, now," another man spoke placatingly, his back to Endrik and the others, "I haven't been to Bpfassh, but I have been to the surrounding system," He leaned back in his seat as he sipped a rich brandy, fingers loosely holding onto the glass. His voice was crisp and contained, his accent distinctly from the core worlds, but still rang with charisma.

That had to be him, Endrik decided, the man that offered him this lucrative job in the first place.

Valo cleared his throat, catching the room's attention.

The man turned his head, "Yes, what is-" his sentence ended, when the man finally saw the four of them standing in the doorway. He stopped and cocked his head, taking them in.

He reeked of influence and power, from the crisp black button-down to the polished shoes on his feet. He was older than Endrik from the lines around his eyes and mouth, his gelled black hair streaked with just the slightest of gray in the roots. He stared much too long at them, like he was trying to discern their character from first impressions alone.

He seemed to come back to himself, blinking as he smiled at them.

"Valo, you bastard," the man laughed as he hauled himself out of his chair, fingers tightly gripping the back of his chair. "I didn't see you there! Why didn't you announce yourself when you got here?"

Valo only smirked. "You looked like you were busy," he shot back, quickly striding across the room to pat the other's shoulders, "didn't want to interrupt."

The man sighed, shaking his head, before he collected himself. "Sorry for not greeting you at the door," he said apologetically, striding forward with the slightest resistance from a limp on his knee, "I try to at least act like a generous host when I can."

Endrik looked to see Andromeda's eyes narrowed as she chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking at the other people gathered in the room. "Wasn't expecting a house party," she murmured.

Now that they had arrived, everyone was staring at them, studying them for weaknesses or strengths. It was a stand-off, both sides wondering who was going to make the first move, and more importantly, did they pose a threat.

The man laughed. "I will explain everything. I'm Mio," he extended a calloused hand to the conwoman. Andromeda hesitantly took it, shaking it delicately.

"Just Mio?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

Mio shrugged his shoulders. "Just Mio. Forgive me if I'm not so open with my last name. I am after all," he swept a hand to the people gathered in the room, "surrounded by people who now know my address. I'd prefer to keep my identity somewhat preserved."

Andromeda nodded, carefully. "Andromeda, just Andromeda," she parroted back, carefully letting go of his hand. Mio smiled back, before his eyes lighted on Naz hovering behind her, eyes wide in worry and apprehension.

Mio's eyes narrowed, just the slightest. "I don't remember seeing you on the bounties," he said calmly, "what occupation do you have?"

Naz's eyes widened. "I..I''m a-"

Andromeda cut him off coolly, "He's my mechanic. He keeps my ship in check when I'm on missions," she grabbed at his shoulder, squeezing it almost affectionately. "The stories we could tell," she grinned, sighing fondly.

Endrik's eyes narrowed. Nowhere on Andromeda's bounties did it mention a mechanic with her. He could have slipped under the radar, maybe, but she was too flashy for that. Why was she covering for him?

It seemed Mio was aware of that as well, his eyes narrowing more as he took Naz's form. He hummed, deep in thought. "Interesting," was what Mio settled for in the end, finally looking away from him. Endrik could audibly hear Naz's relief.

Mio turned to look now at Endrik, eyes looking directly into his, even through the helmet. "You must be Endrik, the Mandalorian," Mio smiled warmly, "I've heard much about you and your prowess in the field."

Endrik stiffly nodded back. Mio seemed to sense his discomfort and added, "Don't worry, I'm not here to turn you to the wolves, I just want to give you an offer."

The answer did nothing to help satisfy Endrik's questions, but he held his tongue.

Mio stepped away, walking back to Valo. He pulled a sleek, golden cred stick out of his pocket and handed it over to him, patting his shoulder. "That'll be all, Valo. Get yourself something nice, yes?"

Valo nodded, ducking his head in an easy motion before walking away as fast as he could. The door closed quickly behind him, leaving the room in silence. Mio clapped his hands together and walked back to the seating area, gesturing for the three to follow him. "Come, come, sit down," he eased himself back in his seat, picking up his drink, "I'll introduce you to everyone."

They all eventually took their seats, Andromeda sitting next to the Falleen while Endrik had sat across from Mio. Naz, without anywhere left to sit, hesitantly choosing the couch where the Chiss man lounged on.

Mio took a sip of his drink, gesturing to the Falleen woman from before."This is Xora, bounty hunter-"

"Doctor foremost," Xora added, her light pink skin deepening on her cheeks.

Mio's eyebrows furrowed. "And doctor. A very kind doctor if I must say so, she's already offered to replace my knee three times just in the past hour," Mio tapped his knee, fixing his leg as he sat down.

Xora smiled shyly, fixing the edge of her sleek black dress. Just from her dress alone she looked more like she belonged on the arm of someone wealthy, coupled with the silver wire and expensive beads weaved into two black braids. Endrik craned his neck to meet her gaze.

"It's very nice to meet you. I've never met a Mandalorian before, you know," she smiled at him brightly. Her eyes shone with brightness and excitement. He felt a strange urge to ensure she was still smiling...

He shook his head, leaning back in his seat. Pheromones, he forgot that Falleen released pheromones.

Xora turned to shake Andromeda's hand, smiling all the while. "You're Andromeda, right?" Andromeda smirked and accepted her hand.

"In the flesh," Andromeda crowed, squeezing Xora's fingers. Xora smiled back, about to let go when her eyes lighted on a scar slicing across Andromeda's exposed neck and collarbone.

"How did you acquire that scar, if you don't mind me asking?" she leaned forward, one of her fingers reaching out as if to trace it. Andromeda noticed and jerked back.

"Vibroblade," she coughed out, smiling uneasily.

Xora cocked her head, intrigued, "Really? I've never seen a vibroblade leave that kind of scar-"

"Who else is here?" Andromeda coughed, shifting away from Xora's questions and looking at Mio for unspoken help.

"We also have Elayne," Mio gestured to a Tholotian woman sitting on the far-edge of her seat, " who has decided to stubbornly stay quiet most of the night," She sighed and crossed her arms. "What can I say," she drawled, "I don't really want to be here."

Mio sighed and shook his head, chuckling under his breath while the chiss man only called out, "Yeah, she's a hoot to have at parties."

Elayne's eyes sharpened as she glared at him. "You should take another hit, you know. I think it's starting to wear off, your personality's coming back."

He scowled, shooting forward in his seat. "What did you-"

Mio sighed. "This is Miliwru, another bounty hunter."

Miliwru only nodded tightly, muttering under his breath from Elayne's comment. His eyes soon ound Naz, sitting stiff-backed and uncomfortably close to the edge of the couch. He looked the other up and down, smiling to himself. "But you can call me doll, _doll_," he purred.

Naz choked, a hand soon coming to brace itself against his leg as he cleared his throat. Miliwru seemed only entertained by his reaction, laughing low in his throat. "Aw, shy?" He cooed, pulling his legs under him to scoot forward, "We can fix that-"

"I'm Jeave," the older man cut in, slipping his cigarette out of his mouth. "Jeave Phanto."

Andromeda scoffed. "Lost your way to the retirement home?"

Jeave pressed his lips together. "I've seen more action than you've dreamed of, kid."

Andromeda snickered to herself, murmuring, "what, from holos?" under her breath. Jeave must have heard, because he only frowned and took another puff from his cigarette.

Mio cleared his throat. "Now that we're all acquainted, you probably are all wondering why I gathered you all here."

Everyone turned to look at him, stopping their mutual glares to all look at the man who gathered them all together. Endrik couldn't help but think finally.

Mio smiled at them calmly, knowing the effect his sentence had on them. "I have a job offer, a very big job offer that could keep you in credits and safety for the rest of your lives."

Elayne leaned back in her seat. "What is it?"

Mio leaned forward, resting his knees on his forearms as he stared at them all. "Do you all know about the Jedi?"

Jedi? Endrik didn't know much about them. He had never met one or even seen one, most of his knowledge of Jedis came from stories and propaganda. He didn't hate them like some of his people did, but that didn't mean he liked them. He heard of Jedi generals who made poor decisions on the battlefield during the clone wars.

But then again, the jedi were all dead now.

"Those weird religious nut-jobs?" Miliwru cocked his head, leaning back against the couch and pillowing his head on his arms.

Mio chuckled. "Yes, that's them. I happen to work as a…" he snapped his fingers, "collector, if you will. In my most recent travels, I came across a collection of preserved Jedi tomes," he picked up a datapad tucked against his seat and started tapping at the screen.

"I've spent the past few months working to translate the Coremaic into basic," He flipped the datapad to show them the screen. Endrik leaned forward. They were pictures of old weathered pages, written in a flowing ink. To Endrik, it looked like a child's scrawl more than an old language, "After translating, I discovered that they talked of a well, A Living Well."

Mio continued, turning the datapad back to him, "In the texts, they describe this 'Living Well' as a place of peace and prosperity, of life itself."

Everyone stayed silent.

"A myth, you mean," Jeave said, chewing at the end of his cigarette.

Mio's eyes narrowed. "My instincts have never steered me wrong, Jeave." He rubbed his hands together. "So, I'm offering this job to you. Find the well, and I'll reward you handsomely."

Xora raised her hand, "A question," her eyes peered across the room. "When you say 'you' you mean all of us are on the job, right?"

"Well, yes, I thought that was clear," Mio said, leaning back in his seat, "There is another member interested in joining but she's currently off-planet."  
Andromeda harshly laughed. "Sorry, I don't really do team-ups," she stretched her arms up and sighed. "I'm a solo act, I have enough on my plate."

Endrik scoffed. Andromeda whipped her head around to look at him, scowling. "What's so funny, metalhead? Your people are the definition of loners."

He glared at her. "Watch your mouth," he met her glare. Damn he really wanted to turn her in for a bounty.

Andromeda stood up, grabbing at her holster. She opened her mouth, but Elayne quickly cut her off.

"What's the reward?" She asked calmly. Andromeda turned to look at Mio, letting go of her blaster.  
Mio smiled. He started to pull something else up on his datapad as he spoke, "I have explicit permission from the Emperor himself," His chest puffed up proudly, "to offer you all 5 million credits a piece, along with an official pardon from all crimes past."

No one made a move. Jeave's cigarette dropped from his mouth while Andromeda made a garbled noise of shock.

Endrik's eyes widened. 5 million credits? For some Jedi well? That was more money he heard ever offered for a simple job. That could pay off any debt Clan Kelborn owed, provide more funds for countless younglings, Hell, he could buy a brand new ship and still have credits left over.

Miliwru jerked in his seat. "I'm in," he blurted out breathlessly, fingers twitching like he could already feel the credits in his hand."

Andromeda stared at Mio in shock, her jaw all the way on the ground. "If you're paying 5 million, I'll do it. Caraya," she shook her head, "I'll do whatever you want for that much money."

Xora clapped her hands together, "Yes, of course, I'll do it! With all those credits, I won't have to go on another bounty ever again, I could finally afford a new facility," she trailed off in her thoughts.

Elayne hummed. "A pardon?"

Mio nodded, handing her the datapad. "The Empire are willing to extend all of you a pardon if you find this well for them."

"So you work for them," Andromeda's eyes narrowed."

Mio sighed. "I take contracts with them, but that's all I can say. My job is very classified. But rest assured, the Empire will pardon you. I have official documents on my datapad," he pointed to Elayne, who was busily scrolling through it.

She finally looked up and handed it back to him. "I'll do it," she calmly replied, sitting back in her seat.

"I'm in as well," Jeave sighed, "even if this well is really just a myth." Mio just smiled pragmatically back. He turned his head now to look at Endrik.

"So what about you, Endrik?" His hands knitted together, looking hopefully at him, "You in?"

If it was anything else, Endrik would have accepted the job. He wasn't one to point fingers or judge job offers. Kriff, he took jobs from the Hutts. 5 million credits was more than enough to make him say yes, and not having to worry about Imperials on his tail would make bounty hunting even easier than it already was.

But something about Mio put Endrik on edge. Endrik couldn't tell you what, but there was something about Mio that spoke of distrust, cunning. Mio wasn't to be trusted.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, leaning back in his seat, "I'll have to turn your offer down. I have other commitments I have to stay loyal to first."

Mio blinked, quiet in his surprise.

"You're gonna turn down 5 million credits?" Miliwru looked sharply at Endrik, "you really are dense," he sniffed.

Mio just stared at him, his eyes crinkling around the edges as he took Endrik in. It was like Mio was staring through his helm, through his ribs, into his own soul. An itch settled in the knobs of Endrik's spine.

Mio blinked and finally sighed, pushing the air out of his mouth like a puff of a cigarette. He pushed himself to his feet, setting his drink on the table before him. His hands flexed along his sides as he smiled easily at Endrik, extending a hand towards him.

"Walk with me, won't you Endrik?" Mio sighed, his voice crisp and contained. "Just down the hall, there's a fantastic view of the flora and fauna of Takodana there, utterly beautiful this time of year."

It was clearly a ploy to talk to Endrik away from the peering eyes of the other , he didn't know. He didn't expect a knife in the gut from Mio, even if so Endrik could fend it off.

Endrik stood up. Mio smiled and stepped forward, placing a hand on Endrik's shoulder. He led him away from the others into a secluded hallway made entirely of glass.

Mio was right: the view was beautiful. The moonlight cast deep shadows against the forest, leaves brushing along the window with every breeze. A flurrg croaked in the underbrush, peering at something deep within the leaves before it hopped away.

Mio patted the beskar under Endrik's back fondly, like old friends meeting each other again. Endrik bristled. "Isn't it beautiful here?" Mio mused, head tilting to the side like as he took in the view. "I've always loved Takodana for its beauty. No other planets truly compare in my opinion." He huffed, shaking his head at the thought of such gruesome landscape.

He let go of Endrik's shoulder and strode forward, stepping closer to the glass to examine a convor that had settled on one of the branches by the window.

He clucked his tongue, shaking his head. "Nature truly is a beautiful thing, don't you agree? I hate the city, dreadful place. All smoke and cement. I'll always pick green over gray."

Endrik gruffly nodded, opting to stay silent.

Mio sighed, a knuckle rubbing against the window. A bird chirped, rubbing its head on its feathers before it flitted into the forest. Mio chuckled under his breath, remembering something.

"Reminds you of Kol Atorn, doesn't it?" he mused, his finger sliding against the glass.

Endrik went still. He was no stranger to panic or fear, he was used to the feeling. So he was numbly aware of how his breaths had stuttered out in his throat, how his heart had clenched tightly in his chest. His head jerked over to Mio, who still only watched the forest before him.

"How," he forced the words out of his throat, "How did you-"

Mio had cut him off with an easy smile. "Clan Kelborn has a lot of enemies, Endrik. Many want to their pound of flesh," Mio's eyes flicked over to Endrik's, "even if it means turning to the Empire."

He trailed off, turning around to look Endrik in the eyes. He leaned easily against the window, simply looking at Endrik as if he hadn't just told him that he knew, he _knew_, where Clan Kelborn was hiding. His family, the foundlings...

Mio morosely sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "It is a shame really. The flora and fauna on Kol Atorn is much too delicate for a fire fight. The creatures don't deserve to be put in the middle of the conflict."

Endrik's eye twitched. Mio spoke as if he was talking about the weather, rather than the subsequent murder and imprisonment of his people. As if he didn't hold the lives of innocent men and women, children.

And yet he still smiled.

Fear for his clan disappeared in an instant. Endrik growled and stormed forward. Before Mio could blink Endrik slammed his forearm against Mio's collarbone, shoving him against the glass window,

"You have," Endrik spat, "a lot of nerve." He punctuated the end of his sentence with a harsher push against Mio's throat, making him cough.

Mio appeared more annoyed than angered, simply furrowing his eyebrows. "I was hoping you wouldn't resort to violence, Endrik. We're adults here, are we not? We can settle this properly without coming to blows like children," Mio bit out, looking up at Endrik as if he were a disobedient child in need of self-control.

"Like Hell we are," Endrik hissed, fingers itching to grab his blaster and finish this bastard off. Endrik should just shoot him right here, right now. No way he could let Mio live after this. Damn the rest of them in the house, damn the Empire, damn-

Mio only sighed, as best as he could with Endrik pushing against his chest. "If I know the location of your people, do you really think I don't have _failsafes _if something," he tapped the side of Endrik's blaster, "happens to me?"

Endrik growled, the sound foreign in his chest. The two stared, waiting for the other's move. Mio glared sharp, ribs struggling to expand under Endrik's arm.

Mio was a threat...but he couldn't kill him here. Not without knowing what kind of failsafes he had. With one last shove, Endrik pushed himself away, storming across the hallway .

Mio didn't say a word, only shakily taking a breath in and out as he leaned against the window. Endrik stayed silent, breathing heavily as he tried to reign himself in and not break the man's teeth in.

"What do you want?" Endrik grit out, breaking the quiet.

Mio sounded displeased. "You already know what I want, Endrik."

Endrik shook his head.

"Why do you want me?" Endrik turned around, facing Mio down. Mio fixed his shirt, sighing as he brushed it down. "You're a Mandalorian, Endrik," Mio scoffed, "Your people are infamous for their mercenary work."

"Yes," Endrik grit, "but why me?"

Mio frowned. "I wasn't planning on you landing on my planet, I'm no soothsayer. I take care to keep my ears on the ground and my eyes in the sky. I already had information about your clan, and when you arrived.."

Mio sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Why would I pass up an opportunity to have a deadly bounty hunter on my team when one so easily was available? Besides," he tipped his head and smiled, "when it's all said and done, you can do whatever you want. You won't be hunted down, you'll be free to do what you want."

Endrik said nothing.

Mio clicked his tongue. "I'll sweeten the pot. Join my mission, and I'll give you every data stick I have on Clan Kelborn."

The bribe was so apparent it might as well have been dangling outside Endrik's visor like a treat.

Endrik didn't trust Mio, didn't trust anyone in this house besides himself. He was not an adventurer, he didn't go around searching for ghost stories. Sure didn't believe in the force.

But…if he did this, his people would be safe. He could make sure they were protected from Gar Saxon, ensure more generations of his people survived and grew.

He had to do this.

"Fine." Endrik said.

Mio smiled, pleased. "I knew you could be persuaded, Endrik," he walked forward, clapping his hands together. Endrik bit back a harsh comment on what Mio considered persuasion.

Mio placed his hand back on Endrik's shoulder as he led him back to the main room, his fingers tight around the edge of his pauldron.

"Now that we got that nasty stuff out of the way, how about a drink with your crew?" Mio tapped a finger along the beskar. "You're gonna be with them for awhile, might as well make the adjustment a bit easier." He laughed, shaking his head.

Endrik, as Mio let him go at the edge of the hallway, walking forward to a drink cart pushed in the corner, could finally tell what unsettled him about Mio.

His eyes.

Mio laughed, refreshing a drink for Andromeda. His eyes flashed up to Endrik's, lips curling.

There was nothing behind them.

* * *

**And there we go! We've met Mio and the rest of the crew, now onto the plot! Let me know what you think in the comments, and remember to follow and review! See you next time!**

**\- Rain**


	5. CHAPTER 3

**Hey everyone, welcome back to the Ambition! Thank you so much for the reviews and support, I love reading your responses! This chapter is coming a bit sooner after the last update, but I finished this chapter in time and I thought why not post it? Thank you NaNoWriMo!**

**This chapter's a bit slower as we start off our journey to get to the well with a lot of character interactions and laying the groundwork for our story. Enjoy, and make sure to review!**

* * *

**_A week later_**

**_The repair docks at Iasu..._**

A standard week passed before the new crew members gathered again at Andromeda's ship. They had all agreed after the meeting with Mio to settle their affairs before they started the mission; supplies needed to be gathered, weapons needed to be secured, and ships needed to be properly stored.

Elayne was less than pleased at not being able to use her ship, but only Andromeda's ship could hold everyone, their supplies, and whatever spoils they managed to collect on the way.

Andromeda wasn't happy having to house everyone on her 'baby', loudly protesting at the slightest hint at using her ship as the home base. But, when confronted with the realization that her ship was probably the biggest and the best for the journey, she finally relented. As they all left Mio's house tp part on their separate journeys, she made them all swear to not bring any bantha fodder in her ship or else they'd get shot. Repeatedly.

Elayne had taken those days to find a secure place for the _Zoya_ to be stored while she participated in this new mission. It had taken a lot of asking around and relying on some old contacts from her brother, but in the end she found a semi-reputable group willing to keep her ship safe. It had taken more credits than she had expected, but knowing her ship was secure was more satisfying than having some extra padding in her wallet.

After that, it was packing her bags, checking that her pistols were secure, and jetting over to Iasu to meet her new crew at the repair docks.

R2-B6 was less than pleased at the change of pace as well. Especially when he found out he wouldn't be coming along with her. When Elayne had broached the subject he had harshly protested. He whistled and chirped and beeped and signalled her as she walked across the ship packing her bags, despite her reminding him that it was in their best interests if he stayed on the Zoya and protected the ship.  
It wasn't that she didn't want him to come with her, she would have gladly taken him over any other of her new team. But she needed someone to protect her ship while she was gone. And, as she snarked back when he slammed his body into the meat of her leg, that if the mission went sour he could be there to ensure that she had an escape route. She could holo him, he could pick her up anywhere and the two would be safe and jet their way to another planet.

But B-6 did have a point in all of his whistles and chirps. She didn't know and of the people she would be bunking with for the next few weeks, hell maybe even months. She didn't trust them at all, None of them had any real ties or causes they were loyal too, nothing to ground them. They just picked whoever person they liked and followed them until they got bored.

She huffed, fixing the headdress around her tendrils against the harsh rain battering the small taxi-speeder she rode in. The sunny weather that had greeted her when she first landed in Takodana a week ago was gone, replaced with stormy skies that had wreaked havoc across the forest. Sheets of rain drenched the trees and earth and people all around her, suffocating every inch of space. She sniffed in distaste, flicking water off her hands and bag.

She couldn't wait to get out of this dirtball planet.

The speeder hovered to a stop at the repair docks of Iasu, the driver gruffly announcing the fare in poor basic. She handed him his fare with a tight-lipped "thank you," and hopped out of the speeder, only to land with a disgusting _squish. _

Her eye twitched. She took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out as she shook mud off her favorite boots. _Think of the reward_, she told herself when she pulled her feet out of the mud, _think of the reward._

She reached back into the speeder and threw her duffel bags over her shoulder, feeling the now-soaked fabric cling to the back of her rain poncho she had bought a few days ago. The fabric was shoddy, she could already feel her shirt starting to stick to her skin. She regretted not spending a few more credits on a speeder with a roof.

Elayne scowled, yanking her rifle case out of the speeder and slapping the edge of the vehicle with her free-hand. "All good," she called over the pounding rain. The driver nodded and soon sped off, leaving a trail of mud and water in its wake.

` She sighed, her hand slipping wetly against the handle of her rifle's case. The straps of her bags dug sharply against her throat and chest as she awkwardly shuffled forward into the archway opening of the docks. She had to physically rip her foot out of all the mud and puddles everywhere, her calves and thighs burning from the extra effort.

Water was everywhere, Elayne grimly noticed, she could barely blink without rainwater dripping into her eyes. She shook her head back and forth, rubbing her forehead against the crook of her elbow to clear her vision. _Couldn't wait to get off this planet, couldn't wait to get off this planet. _

As she entered the docks, she was greeted with even more water and noise. The ships groaned and creaked against the storm, the sound of sharp metal reminding her of the docks at Corellia. They were all locked and anchored to the ground with heavy metal cables to protect the sensitive metal and parts against the wind and rain. There was no one on the docks, only a spare few repair-workers moving against the sheets of water like ghosts in their heavy raincoats.

The few trader stalls still open in the harsh weather dripped and sagged against the water and wind while its patrons hurried to cover precious materials from the water. One stall buckled under the weight of the water, collapsing inward and spilling all its water onto the poor person inside. She grimaced in sympathy. She hiked her bag higher on her shoulder and continued to walk across the docks, carefully dodging large puddles and the thick heavy cables strewn across the ground.

She sighed, looking up at the sky to take a break, breath escaping her lips in heavy pants of exertion. She looked just as an arc of lightning split the sky and struck a tree nearby the docks. The tree groaned, cracking and toppling halfway on top of the large walls of the repair docks. Elayne blinked, eyes wide.

_Find the ship, find the ship now_, she hurriedly reassured herself, tightening her grip on her bags and hurrying forwards.

A crack of thunder rumbled against the docks. Elayne blinked against the rain, and suddenly Andromeda's ship was highlighted against the stormy sky. Elayne sighed in relief, rushing forward.

The ship was a beauty, Elayne had to admit as she moved closer to the starship. Brightly painted silver and red, its metal hull gleaming against the wind and rain _The Ambition _was painted brightly against the side of the ship, along with a crude silhouette of a woman's profile. In a way, the ship reminded Elayne of her own, a shining achievement of Corellia's engineers.

A satellite quivered and fell off the side of the ship, clattering to the ground. Elayne frowned. She took back what she said.

The storm was picking up, she dimly noticed. The wind howled around her, picking up the edge of her poncho. She nearly tumbled into one of the anchors tying the ship to the ground. She grunted as one of the bags slipped off her shoulders to rest at the crook of her elbow.

_The Ambition_'s hydraulic lift shuddered and slowly lowered from its port underneath the walkway between the cockpit and escape pod. Andromeda stood clutching the bar, her arm pressed tight against her forehead to protect her eyes from the rain as she held tight to her lift. Wind whipped her red jacket around her like a ripped flag in the wind. "Get in, get in!" one of her hands left her face to to usher Elayne onto the elevator lift, water dripping down her nose and jaw.

Just as she stepped onto the lift, Andromeda slammed her hand against the lift button, the hydraulic lift slowly moving upwards until it eventually sealed the two inside the ship, safe from the strorm.

Water dripped quietly off them, Andromeda sighing and brushing the hair off her forehead only for it to stick on her forehead once more. Elayne slid her rain poncho off her back and tried unsticking the shirt from her skin.

"Damn," Andromeda huffed, looking at the puddle of water around her and Elayne's feet, "I don't think I like this planet anymore."

Elayne raised an eyebrow, "Anymore?"

Andromeda laughed, shaking her head as she squeezed the excess water out of her dark hair and onto the floor. "My ship is covered in rain water and mud, I'm not very happy right now."

Elayne grimaced, eyes darting to her shoes which were still covered in mud and dirt.

Andromeda sighed and started to shrug her jacket off her shoulders, morosely patting the soaked fabric. She strode to press a button against the wall, a door opening to reveal a hallway in her ship. The two started walking down the hall, Andromeda talking all the while."Throw your bags in the cargo hold, down the hall to the right," Andromeda sighed, boots scraping wetly against the metal, "and don't get anymore water in the rest of my ship. I already have enough."

They arrived at the living quarters, a small but cozy area tucked in some of the crewmember cabins. Andromeda pointed roughly to a metal door against the wall as she started harshly rubbing her temples, as if buckling under the weight of taking care of others.

Roo lounged on the couch bolted against the wall, feet propped up on a small holo-table as he crossed his arm. He cackled, shouting, "Yeesh, look what the loth-cat dragged in!" in the two's general direction.

"Shut up, Miliwru," Andromeda snapped, looking very much like a wet cat with her wet hair sagging over her forehead and eyes.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Elayne muttered, slipping one of the bags off her shoulder as she opened the cargo-hold door.

The cargo hold was pretty empty, some crates or old supplies stacked and pushed against the walls. But Andromeda hadn't lied at Mio's place, the cargo hold was much bigger than Elayne's ship. She slid her bags off her shoulder with a sigh, setting them beside the others gathered from all the other crew members. She tried not to gag when she saw a bag with a suspicious-looking stain on the front, dirty clothes spilling out from the dirty bag and falling on the floor.

_Andromeda wasn't lying when she said the ship was covered in water,_ Elayne grimaced as she saw the boot prints and puddles of water scattered across the cargo hold. Underneath the mud and rain, the ship would look pretty nice, even with the old scrapes and dents the ship had gathered across the years.

She emerged in the living quarters, grabbing a handkerchief out of her pocket to dry her tendrils off. "- I concur with metalhead," Andromeda finished, leaning against the hallway's wall as she crossed her arms.

Endrik shifted against the storage cabinet against his back. "Don't call me that," he rumbled, the vocoder pitching his voice even lower.

Andromeda didn't take the opportunity to laugh, only dismissively making an acknowledgement sound under her breath. "I would usually take this opportunity to call you an annoying petname, but I have an amazing tension headache and I don't have the creative energy today."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Miliwru assured, before turning to Endrik and batting his eyelashes, "Hey, snookums?"

Endrik just sighed lengthily, hanging his head while Miliwru crowed in smug glee. Andromeda snickered quietly to herself before the harsh sound of clanging echoed across her ship. Andromeda's head whipped around.

"Sorry!" Naz called out, his voice tinny and faint. His soft apology was soon covered up by the sound of even more clanging.

Andromeda's eye twitched. "Naz, what is going on-" Andromeda quickly pushed past Elayne and ran down the hallway, shouting back at Naz. "My engine better be in one piece!"

Xora winced where she sat, hands fixing her sleek black braids still damp from the rain outside. "I don't think this stress is good for her," Xora murmured, looking back at where Andromeda had blindly panic-run down the hall.

"No, its not," Miliwru sighed. "So what can I do to make it worse?" Miliwru laughed at himself, seemingly entertained just by his own comments. Xora only frowned and looked back at her braid, pulling her hair over her shoulder.

More clanging echoed across the ship. "I could really go for a cigarette right now.,." Jeave mumbled, his feet scraping against the floor as he leaned comfortably back in his seat.

"So what's going on?" Elayne asked carefully, fixing her jacket around her shoulders

Jeave shoved Miliwru's feet off the table when he tried poking Jeave's hands with the toe of his boot. "Nothing much, Andromeda's having a heart attack, and hopefully we can get to Nar Shadda today before the storm really sets in."

Elayne hummed, leaning back in her seat. "The storm's getting pretty bad," she added, pointing to her soaked clothes and tendrils. A bead of water dripped off her headdress into her eye, solidifying her point.

Endrik only sighed, his helmet tipping back to rest against the shelf. "Let's hope we're not grounded any longer."

More clanging echoed across the ship, followed by vivid cursing from Andromeda. Elayne sighed. She could already feel a headache forming and they hadn't even started the mission yet.

* * *

_**A week ago...**_

Elayne's fingers drummed against the edge of her leg as Mio explained their mission. He had led them into a small study adjacent to his living room, the walls lined with books and relics from times long past. Elayne found herself studying everything on the walls in a distant fascination, she had never seen half of the items on his walls.

"Please don't touch anything," Mio called out, voice strained as he tapped at a small holotable situated on top of his sleek wooden desk. Milwru only scoffed and walked sharply away from a glass case containing a rusted-over axe, soon finding an old relic to tap at tucked between two gold-trimmed books.

Mio made a sound of acknowledgement and the lights dimmed in the study. Elayne turned from studying a piece of parchment to see Mio's holotable light up in blue, projecting an image of a YV-666 starship.

"I had sent a previous team to recover the well before you all," Mio explained, the blue lights casting highlights on his cheekbones. "But six months ago, they disappeared without a trace. Their entire ship, the captain's log, all gone."

Mio continued. "The last thing we have from them is a mission report they sent in from their final stop on Bracca. It said that they left some of their artifacts they discovered with a contact in case anything happened to them."

Endrik scoffed. "In case you turned on them." He gruffly announced, hands shifting against his hips.

Mio ignored him, moving on as he flicked a hand across the holo-table to project a new image, this time of a sad-looking Crolute with deeply sunk-in eyes and sagging fat around his cheeks. Elayne grimaced, the man was bad-looking even for a Crolute.

Mio stared hard at the man's image, "I've been able to identify their contact as Nonis Kale, a man who has somehow managed to attract the attention of The Scrap Rats, a quite bloodthirsty gang that operates by holding a chokehold on some of the transport trains in and out of the platforms."

Andromeda shook her head, wincing. "Those Scrap Rats are awful, bloody little pests," she muttered, crossing her arms as her eyes took a dark edge to them.

Mio nodded at her. "Yes, which is why you need to take special care not to get on their radar. Or his as well." His expression darkened, "The reason why he got their attention is because he went into debt trying to buy more spice, who knows what information he'd sell in order to get his hands on more." His fingers tightened around the edge of his holo-table, his voice turning rougher as his frustration slipped through his calm demeanor.

He took a deep breath in, then out again as he resumed his usual manner of speaking. "So what you need to do, is to find this contact, get whatever information he has, and use that to get to the well," he clapped his hands together, smiling.

Mio flicked Nonis away, now pulling up text in the form of a HoloNet ID, V_V. "But before you head to Bracca you need to pick up the last member of the crew, a woman named Vyna, but she goes by V on the HoloNet," Mio pointed back to the floating text. "She lives on Nar Shadda as a splicer for the Crymorah Syndicate."

"Why wasn't she here to meet her crew?" Xora asked, staring intently at a taxidermied animal protected in a glass case, as if only half-aware of what Mio was saying as she studied the strange animal.

Mio's smile turned a little bit pained, "She has some...fears about leaving her home-planet."

"Oh great," Andromeda mumbled, "this is going to be absolutely fantastic."

Mio paid her no mind, clicking the projections off as lights flickered back on in the room. He clapped his hands together, eyes bright with excitement. "So you know what you need to do? Pick up Vyna, get to Bracca, and find the contact."

They all nodded.

Mio grinned. 'Perfect."

* * *

**_The present…_**

More clanging echoed in the halls of the Ambition, followed by heavy footsteps as Elayne looked away from the small conversation between her new crew members. Andromeda emerged, her smile strained as Naz hovered over her shoulder.

"So!" she addressed the room, her smile not wavering one bit. "The engine is all up-and-running, and we are good to go, thanks to Naz here." She clapped his shoulder, still grinning. "But," she added carefully, "If any of you start to suffocate and/or die from noxious fumes, please let me know. Thank you kindly."

Milwru nodded then stopped. "Wait a minute-"

Andromeda pushed on. "So, with the engine all ready to go we can head to Nar Shadda and beat this storm, so," she looked back at them, nose wrinkling in distaste. "Just..stay there, I guess. I don't know, don't poke around my ship.

"Couldn't we stay in our rooms during the voyage?" Xora asked, cocking her head

Andromeda scoffed and leaned herself against the wall, crossing her arms. "I mean, I guess. But some of you are going to have to share rooms so I don't know what kinda privacy y'all want."

Elayne's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, share?" she asked carefully, fingers tightening around her leg.

"Are there not enough rooms for all of us?" Endrik growled, helmet tipping to pseudo-glare full force at Andromeda's form as best he could under his helmet. Soon, everyone in the room was staring at her in varying emotions from curious to murderous.

Andromeda winced, eyes darting away. "We have six rooms, so we have enough rooms...just not for everyone to have their own room."

Miliwru turned his head to take in Endrik's form, looking up at the Mandalorian through his eyelashes. "I'd be happy to share a room with you," he purred. Endrik didn't even pay him any mind. Miliwru grumbled and crossed his arms.

Jeave only laughed at the new revelation, saying, "This is going to be fun..."

Andromeda sighed, raising her arms in a placating gesture. "We can figure this out, don't worry. I," she pointed to herself, "am _captain_, so of course I get a room."

"Who said you were captain?" Elayne frowned.

Andromeda shot her a withering glare. "I said so, because this is my ship."

"Well," Miliwru raised his hand, " I think I'd be a good leader, more than some con artist," he muttered as he swung his legs back on top of the table, crossing them at the ankle

"Well," Andromeda smiled without mirth, "Sucks to be you."

Milwru scowled sharply at her while she only smirked in response. Naz cleared his throat and stepped forward to break the two's stand-off. "I don't need a room," Naz hopelessly placated, "I'd rather sleep in the engine room anyway-"

"Shut up, you're getting a room," Andromeda cut him off, waving him away. He started to protest before Endrik spoke up.

"We should hear him out," Endrik nodded his head, "one of us gets a private room if he sleeps in the engine room."

Andromeda scoffed, looking more offended for Naz than Naz did himself. "You're gonna kick the kid out of a warm bed just so you can jerk off in privacy?" Andromeda shot back.

Roo barked out a laugh while Naz quickly looked away. Elayne only sighed, holding her head in her hands while more conversation rang out between the crew.

Andromeda smiled, smugly looking at Endrik's very tense figure with unhindered glee. "I can see why you'd want a private room now though," she grinned evilly, "enough open room to _really _get into your fantasies-"

"I'll share with Naz," Endrik bit out, hands clenched against his sides. Andromeda just smiled calmly back at him, nodding.

"We still have the agoraphobic hacker to put somewhere," Milwru added, fingers tapping restlessly on the table.

Naz mumbled something under his breath as people moved on to Vyna. Elayne could hear him murmuring, "I'm still gonna sleep in the engine room," Naz defeatedly as he fiddled with a tool on his bekt.

"I believe the storage closet for the hacker," Miliwru announced, "she wasn't here when we assigned bedrooms so she has to suck it."

Xora frowned at that answer, fixing her dress pants against her legs as she asked, "Shouldn't we try and comm her?" She fixed Miliwru a pointed look, as if disappointed in him. He actually seemed to feel her disappointment, his cocky smirk fading away for him to cough awkwardly to try and break her stare. .

"Nah, we can settle this here, we just gotta be adults," Andromeda sighed, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyes flitted over to Elayne, locking gazes. Elayne could see the idea forming in the conwoman's eyes before she even opened her mouth.

"No." Elayne cut her off, frowning deeply as Andromeda started protesting.

"Hey, hey, hear me out," Andromeda explained, "you're a girl, she's a girl. Unless one of you," she flicked her eyes over to the remaining men "wanna share with Datapad-Chick."

Jeave shrugged his shoulders while Miliwru only smiled lazily, as if he already knew what the answer was going to be. The silence was a damning.

"What about Xora," Elayne said, gesturing to Xora, "She's a girl too."

Xora blinked at her. "I'm okay with sharing, I suppose." her eyebrows drew together as she thought, "I was going to use the extra space for my medical supplies.."

Damn, Elayne thought to herself, she probably did need the space for all of her doctoring supplies. She also was 6"9, which probably meant she would want a room to herself, right? Andromeda turned back to Elayne with a triumphant look, gesturing back to the Falleen doctor. Elayne exhaled harshly through her nostrils.

"Fine," she spat, "I'll share. Happy?"

"As a hooker, babe," Andromeda winked. Elayne only scowled and looked away, focusing on a spot on the side of the Ambition's wall.

"Now that we got that out of the way," Andromeda clapped her hands and rubbed them together, "Shut up and leave me alone, I gotta go set the coordinates and start take-off, see you later." She pushed herself off the wall and stalked off down the hallway

Jeave frowned. "Don't you need a co-pilot?" He called after her.

"Nope!" Andromeda faux-cheerfully shouted back, "'been doing fine on my own without a co-pilot, old man!" Jeave exhaled and rubbed his hand over his face, muttering something under his breath that Elayne didn't catch.

"Lovely one, isn't she," he finally said aloud, rummaging through his jacket to find a spare cigarette. Endrik grunted in approval.

"You got that right," Endrik muttered darkly, shifting in his spot against the wall.

"Well, I think she's just guarding herself," Xora smiled, "She'll warm up to us soon."

"She-She's pretty cool," Naz added, raising his hand as if he thought he required permission to talk. "She let me repair her ship."

Miliwru only snickered and shook his head. "Sure, lover-boy." Naz's made an aborted sound of protest, face scrunching together, before he quickly strode away, probably to hide out in the engine room like he wanted too.

"That was rude," Xora's face turned downwards, biting at her lip as she looked at where Naz stood. Elayne felt almost sorry for Xora, she clearly was one of the nicer peoples on the ships. Probably the nicest one on the ship.

"Oh, boohoo," Milwru sneered, "Thank you for bringing that to my attention, I'll change my ways just for you!"

Endrik's arms only crossed tighter as he muttered under his breath, "Grow up."

The conversation continued to rise as the group soon started arguing loudly with each other. Elayne only sighed and tilted her head back in her seat, eyes shutting as she felt the fabric of her shirt continue to stick to her clothes.

_This_, Elayne thought to herself, _was going to be a long job._

* * *

**And there we have it! Chapter three everyone. Our next chapter shouldn't be up as fast as this one, hopefully in the next two weeks. Enjoy and review!**

**\- Rain**


	6. CHAPTER 4

**Hello and welcome back! Sorry for the tad-late update, I had to switch some plot details around but I am happy to say that I've scripted out the entire story all the way to the end so this should make a bunch of the future updates much easier.**

**This chapter's a bit shorter, I was going to have this be two parts but it didn't really work so the next update will definitely be longer. Enjoy and make sure to review and favorite/follow! I live reading all the reviews, they always bring a smile!**

* * *

**_Somewhere around the Outer-rim..._**

Naz had never been on a starship before. Well, technically he had if you count being on them for he had never _been_ on one, never knew the hum of the engine as it took off or the screaming whine of the hyperdrive engine as it punched through realspace. But now look where he was, aboard a starship as its official mechanic, sailing to planets unknown and uncharted,

It was so much more real than Naz had ever imagined. The engine was a constant hum underneath his feet, against his fingertips, working steadily underneath the crew's feet as they went about their daily lives. Oftentimes Naz found himself venturing into the engine room and simply watching the engine work for hours, pistons pumping steadily around the hyperdrive core that kept them suspended in hyperspace. It was incredible.

But he had one small problem. As the ship's mechanic, he also happened to know everything that could go wrong. If a single wire sparked or burned, the entire power-grid could crash. If the power-grid went down, the engine would overload from the stain on its system. If the engine was overwhelmed, then the hyperdrive could blow, ripping them all out of hyperspace and sending them crashing into the nearest planet or perhaps even blown up into little-

Needless to say, Naz was having a bit of a rough time adjusting.

As the days passed, the crew still remained...well themselves. They mostly kept to themselves, still awkward and hesitant around each other because of their deep-rooted suspicion and lack of trust with each other. Well, all except Xora, the woman had made it her mission to chat and befriend everyone on the ship and mostly accomplished it.

Today was the same day as the past two days after leaving Takodana. After spending the past five/six hours checking the diagnostic readings on the hydraulic systems and checking to see if the repairs he made to the electrical system held out, he had passed out in his bunk before waking up only a few hours later at the sound of Endrik quietly trying to hop out of his bunk. Naz had taken that as a cue to get up and see if he could make repairs to the Ambitions interior systems embedded deep in the walls.

It felt quiet, almost dull in the Ambition's halls as he padded sleeping down to the living suite, trying to figure out where he left his servo-wrench. He could have sworn he had left it in the living suite when he was repairing the holo-table when it started to fizzle out yesterday in the middle of Naz's daily staring at the map of the galaxy.

He yawned, arms stretching against a white fleecy shirt still stained with oil and hydraulic fluids. His hair had to be a mess, he dejectedly thought, a hand floating up to try and assess the damage. He'd have to try and snag the refresher before someone else took it. Maybe he should try and do his hair in twists, that always made it a bit easier to deal with...

Naz arrived in the living suite, soon crouching down to look for his misplaced wrench. His hand met dust when he swept experimentally underneath the couch. His hand just came away with some dirt and dust. He sighed, wiping it on the material of his pants. Maybe he left it in the machinery room, or maybe Xora had it-

"Uh, You good?" A voice called out. Naz jerked and sat up, his head ramming into the table above him. Naz cried out and clutched his head as pain blossomed from his skull.

"Oh, kriff, that looks like it hurt, sorry," Naz blinked and turned his head to see Miliwru standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, blue fingers wrapped tight around something in his hands.

"It's alright," Naz said, blinking away his daze as he sat back on his heels, pulling himself out from under the table. Miliwru's face scrunched in confusion.

"You sure?" Miliwru asked, rubbing his neck. "It looked like it hurt."

Naz shrugged awkwardly, not truly knowing how to respond. Milwru and Naz hadn't gotten off on the best foot, what with Miliwru offering to sleep with him within seconds of knowing him and then making fun of his friendship with Andromeda when they boarded the ship. Naz didn't really ever know what was going on in the Chiss's head, so he really just kinda tried to keep his distance, however rude that was.

"I mean, kinda," Naz finally admitted, "But I'm used to it. I, I get startled pretty easily so yeah, I'm used to hitting my head on things. Or my elbow, or knee- I really just get startled a lot, I'm fine," He trailed off. Silence settled between the two of them.

Miliwru cleared his throat. "Listen," he exhaled sharply through his nose, "I feel a bit bad, you know, for making you upset when we all boarded."

Naz nodded carefully.

"So, uh, I have a deck of sabacc," he now held up his hand which held a deck of shiny cards printed with neat symbols on them, "and I was wondering if you wanted to play with me and some others. As a way for me to apologize for being a jackass."

Naz blinked at him, partially in shock. He had never expected an apology from Miliwru, really from anyone in his life, but Miiwru seemed genuine. He had clearly thought about his behaviour and wanted to take actions that would absolve that. And after all, a friend or at least someone who wasn't his tools would be good in his life, right? People always said he needed to socialize anyway.

"Sure, but I don't know how to play Sabacc," Naz blurted out, cheeks warm.

Miliwru looked at him, cocking his head, "Well, I can teach you. It's a pretty good way to pass the time," Miliwru said quickly.

"Okay, I'll play, I-I probably won't be much good at it though," his lips quirking up in a half-smile, the best he could. Miliwru's response was infectious. He grinned widely, his shoulders sagging with relief.

"I bet you're just being modest," Miliwru clapped Naz's shoulder excitedly, "I'll stick kick your ass though," Miliwru barked out a laugh as he threw the deck of cards on the table, starting to shuffle them.

Naz had slightly picked it up around the third round. As he slid over his winnings to his small pile. Jeave had wandered in and after seeing the cards asked if he could join in the next round. Miliwru had shrugged and said sure, scooting over in his seat to let the older bounty hunter sit down. Then Xora had joined in a short while after, excitedly asking if she could play too. And then there were four of them, peacefully dealing cards rather than insults or guarded glances.

The games passed relatively peacefully as they showed off their hands and collected their winnings. Everyone seemed relieved to be doing something other than fiddling their thumbs as they waited for Bracca. Naz couldn't help but appreciate a break from the constant panicking about the ship's engines to instead worry about the cards he held and how he could win their small pot, consisting mainly of loose change, ration packs, and some spare gears and screws borrowed from his person.

Conversation came slowly with the passing of cards and credits. Time passed quietly and peacefully as multicolored streaks arced across potholes embedded in the walls of the starship. Naz couldn't tell how many rounds had passed, but he still had the same cluelessness towards Sabacc as when he started- There were just too many numbers and rules and cards.

Naz pulled his legs up underneath him as he rested his back against one of the seats, his hands fidgeting around the cards in between his fingers. He had an awful hand...at least he thought he did.

Jeave winced, rubbing a hand over his face as he sagged in his seat. He threw his cards on the table, and pushed them back to Miliwru. "I fold, you gave me a bad hand," he muttered, glaring harshly at his cards. Miliwru only half-smirked, folding the cards back in the deck.

"Sure, Jeave," Miliwru had half-mumbled/half-joked, staring hard at his cards as his eyes went glassy.

"Can we trade in our cards one more time?" Xora hummed, blinking quizzically at her deck.

"No can do, Xora," Miliwru sighed, looking away for his cards, "Time to show show your hands," He carefully placed his cards face-first on the table, smiling all the while. Everyone leaned forward to study them and then leaned back in dejected acceptance of their loss. He had a good hand, his cards totaling -21...At least Naz thought so.

"Pretty good hand, if I must say so," Miliwru smiled to himself, looking back at the other players from under his eyelashes as he leaned back into his seat.

Naz sighed, sullenly laying out his cards. Miliwru winced, "Yeesh, sabacc really isn't kind to you at all," Miliwru blinked at Naz, seeming sympathetic. Naz only nervously smiled in response, as if saying it wasn't Miliwru's fault.  
Lastly, it all came down to Xora. She exhaled sharply through her lips, before she delicately placed the cards on the table. Everyone waited on baited breath as they added up her total.

"Well I'll be damned," Miliwru shook his head, eyes wide as he leaned back in his seat. Naz quickly read over Xora's cards and then his mouth dropped. An even twenty-three, Xora had an even twenty-three.

Jeave laughed aloud, leaning over to shake Xora's hand. "Nice job, kid," Jeave replied, something akin to congratulations. Xora smiled back with the brightness of a lightbulb, animatedly shaking his hand back.

"Wow, I can't believe I won!" she admitted, her voice quick and bright, "I usually never win these things." She accepted more handshakes and pats on the back and even gave some of her own as she started sliding her winnings over to her side, starting to neatly organize them into her own pile of previous winnings.

Miliwru meanwhile had managed to snag all the cards and started shuffling again. "Anyone up for another-"

The floor pitched sharply downwards. A roaring whoosh rushed against the hull of the ship. The metal beams of the ship groaned.

Naz couldn't really process much of what was going on as his vision swam in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to swallow to clear his ears and get this over. He really was starting to revise his dream to be on a starship.

Finally, the ship seemed to stop heaving and settled roughly, parts still creaking from its harsh exit from hyperspace. Naz's ears finally popped and he gratefully sighed.

"There goes another round," Miliwru muttered under his breath, slipping the cards back in the deck as he leaned his arms forward to crack his back.

"That," Naz swallowed dryly, "That landing seems to be a bit rougher than usual, right?"

Jeave looked around, his dark eyes trained on the lights that still seemed to flicker. "We must have hit a gravity patch as we left hyperspace," he gruffly said, stepping out of the couch and towards the cockpit. Naz sighed, pressing his forehead against the cool metal before pulling himself up into a standing position.

Miliwru started to gather up his cards, swiping them into his palms in an easy, smooth motion. His eyes were cold and guarded, much more than they had been while they were playing. Naz frowned and filed the information in his head. He was about to say something when shouting erupted from the cockpit. Great, that was great.

"What are they arguing about now?" Xora said, face scrunching together in displeasure as she carefully stood up and wandered into the cockpit. Naz quickly followed her, the ship still quaking lightly under his heels.

"You can take your advice and shove it up your ass!" Andromeda's face was twisted in a sneer where she stood at Jeave's front as Naz walked into the cockpit. Jeave's frown deepened. Andromeda smirked, the smirk fading as she saw her crew filing into her cockpit.

"What," she asked, eyebrows raising, "You all now are coming in to criticize my flying?"  
Jeave gruffly sighed, "Piloting on your own is no easy manner-"

Andromeda turned back to him with her eyes almost blazing. Xora only cleared her throat, crossing her arms as she stared at Andromeda in disappointment. Andromeda finally seemed to cave in and sighed roughly, brushing a strand of hair that had escaped her messy ponytail behind her ear.

Naz craned his head to see past Xora and the crowd gathered by the cockpit windows. He could only see spaces of stars and inky black. Xora finally seemed to notice his plight and shuffled aside as best she could in the small space. Naz stepped in and gasped at the sight.

He had never seen a planet before. He had always seen stars on the surface of Takodana. Nice travelers stopping by to repair ships or some of the other workers would show him pictures and maps but nothing compared to the real thing.

Stars sprinkled the deep inky black of space, gleaming brightly even through the windows of the

Ambition. They all seemed to orbit Nar Shadda itself which seemed to glow a deep yellow and orange even through the recesses of space. It was...almost beautiful in a way.

"It may be a shit-hole," Andromeda sighed, eyes flicking over to him, "But it can be pretty nice from above." Naz nodded wordlessly, remembering where exactly they were going.

Naz had never been to Nar Shadda before personally, but he had heard stories, stories of people disappearing in the streets, being executed by the Hutts. They said that more people stayed on the planet than left it, lost to the bowels of the streets. It was probably the most dangerous planet in the galaxy, and here they were heading straight into the lion's den.

_Oh boy_, Naz's eyes widened, Naz really didn't think this whole mission thing through, didn't he?

Naz's crisis was momentarily broken when Endrik walked briskly into the room, rubbing his unobscured forehead sharply. A deep red bruise bloomed across his olive skin. Naz winced in sympathy.

"The hell kinda landing was that?" He grumbled, sharp blue eyes landing unabashed on Andromeda. Andromeda frowned and crossed her arms, sitting back down in her seat as she started clicking buttons on the dashboard.

"I already got into this fight already, I don't wanna do this again," she sighed. "But anyway, welcome to Nar Shadda, the hell-hole itself." Naz slipped away from the window to look out at the crew as all eight convened in the space.

"Where are we docking?" Miliwru asked, his voice tight and calm.

"Huttatown," Elayne sighed, "scummy place."

Jeave grunted in displeasure, scratching his scruff. "That's one of the worst areas in the whole damn planet, where would we find a safe docking port?"

Andromeda sighed, projecting a map of Huttatown above the dashboard. "I don't know, I haven't been to Nar Shadda in years and I try to stay away from the Hutts at all costs," she shook her head in distaste, "slimy slug bastards."

"I know a docking port," Endrik walked forward, pushing himself towards the cockpit. He quickly zoomed in on the small map of the metropolis, pointing straight at some hidden area of the map.

"The utility district?" Jeave cocked his head to the side.

Endrik nodded briskly. "I dock there whenever I do missions for them, we should be safe for the most part."

"I'll take those chances any day," Andromeda murmured, typing the coordinates in. Naz blinked in confusion. Did Endrik say safe, for the most part?

Naz shook his head and tried to tune himself back into the conversation. Andromeda was talking, "So who's going down? Or may I rephrase, who's the least wanted out of all of us?"

"I know the streets, I can get us in and out," Miliwru called out, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair, "Sooner the better if you ask me."

Andromeda held up a hand with one finger extended, "Okay, that's one."

Endrik cleared his throat, "I should also come, I know the Hutts and they'll need confirmation from me so we don't get mowed down when we land."

Andromeda nodded quickly as a ghost of a memory flashed across her face. "That's two. I'd love to stay and protect my ship but I know a few contacts in Huttatown that could maybe help us out, so that's three. The rest can stay and protect the ship."

Naz gulped and raised a shaking hand. 'Um," he swallowed dryly, "Protect the ship?"

Andromeda grimaced, biting her lip. Her eyes flashed over to Endrik, staring at him hard as she tried to convey some sort of silent question. He seemed to understand what she was asking him and turned back to Naz.  
"While we won't get shot if we land," he explained, "There is still a chance the ship could get scrapped or looted by some of the lower-level mercs."

"And to save y'all's asses from getting shot if I see my ship scrapped," Andromeda cut in, "I say half stay on the ship while the three of us grab the hacker-girl. That all good?"

"Fine by me," Miliwru muttered, with the rest echoing his reply. Andromeda clapped her hands together and turned back

"Now," she flexed her fingers, "I'm gonna need all the concentration I can get to land us safely, so get the hell out of my cockpit." She swivelled her seat back aground and clicked off the projection as she started the ship's descent. The ship creaked and started to pitch downward as Nar Shadda got closer in the cockpit's window.

Endrik stepped away from the cockpit and briskly walked down the hallway, delivering a quick "Get your supplies, Miliwru," toMiliwru before disappearing. Miliwru only playfully stuck out his tongue before disappearing down the hallway. Soon, it was just Andromeda and Naz left in the cockpit.

Andromeda, seemingly unaware of Naz's presence, clicked a screen up and zoomed in on the map of Huttatown as she slowly pitched the steering wheel downwards. The ship jolted underneath her and she cursed under her breath. A small pen rolled out of her lap and clattered on the ground. As she reached down to grab it, bracing her knee against the steering wheel to keep the ship on-track, her eyes met his.

"A little help?" She asked pointedly, pointing to the pen. Naz moved on instinct and grabbed the pen under her seat. She smiled gratefully at him and snagged it from him.  
"Thanks, Naz," She shoved it underneath her leg, soon securely grabbing the steering wheel. She looked over at him and nodded her head at the seat next to her, "Sit down if you want, front-row seat to Nar Shadda."

Naz smiled at her in relief and quickly sat down, staring at the scene before them. "I thought, I mean I thought you said you needed to concentrate," he said, sitting back in his seat as he pulled his legs up to his chest. Nar Shadda was closer now, he could now see the overlapping colors and lights even more than before.

Andromeda chuckled under her breath, her fingers wrapping against the thrust and slowly increasing it. Naz could feel the engine humming underneath him as the thrusters gained power to breach Nar Shadda's atmosphere.

"You're quiet," she said, biting her lip as she didn't look away from the cockpit's window, "They're loud, simple as that." The Ambition glided into Nar Shadda's atmosphere with precision, he barely even felt a shudder. Andromeda eased up on the thrust and started to coast over the buildings of Huttatown. Naz leaned forward in his seat as he stared openly at the sights.

It was...congested. Much more congested and sickly than Takodana he thought glumly. Instead of lush greens and blues, harsh yellow of neons and the sickly gray of the sky shone through instead. Neon advertisements glowed and flickered amidst the smog, advertising a variety of products in Huttese and Basic. Naz found himself blushing at one advertisement for a...creative way to alleviate stress.

"It's so gray," he murmured, eyebrows scrunching together.

Andromeda only hummed, focused on her position. She followed the steady beep of her map and of the sky before them. She swerved over a large apartment complex without any clean windows. Naz frowned. This place was a dump, was it even safe to live here?

"Wish I could'a shown you something a bit prettier for your first ever planet," Andromeda muttered, glaring hard at the filth, "But this is what the boss wants." She sighed, putting more energy into the thruster.  
Her eyes lit up as the ship's sight zeroed in on a series of large buildings with a variety of vats and domes atop of them, all covered in a variety of dirt and dust and colorful grafitti. Andromeda leaned back in her seat and clicked the comm link button.

"Endrik, we're nearing the landing point," she barked out, "Tell the Hutts we're safe, babe."

Naz frowned, fingers clenching on the seat rest. "Are you safe?" He finally asked, looking back at her. Her head cocked at him, finger leaving the comm link button as she sat back in her seat.

"I'll be fine, Naz, don't you worry," She said, biting the inside of her cheek. "I've been to worse planets with worse people." She chuckled under her breath. "All I have to worry about is not decking Endrik and I'll be just peachy." Naz scoffed and shook his head, but he found himself smiling anyway.

Speaking of the devil, Endrik quickly walked into the cockpit, beskar armor now fully donned and polished. Naz tried not to look too wary, he knew the Mandalorian was imposing but he wouldn't kill any of them, hopefully..

Endrik leaned over Andromeda's dashboard, inputting a code into the communications port. Immediately, the harsh sounds of Huttese blared over the speaker. Andromeda winced and was about to say something when Endrik quickly covered her mouth with his palm as he spoke over her muffled protests.

"It's me, Grakkus," Endrik said calmly through the comm, "Endrik, the Mandalorian." The quick huttese stopped, as if considering a point. Unknown voices started hurriedly whispering with each other in Huttese somehow faster than before. Andromeda in the mean-time had managed to get her arm out from under her and slammed it into Endrik's solar plexus, ripping his hand away from her mouth. He stepped away with a harsh breath as she angrily stood up.

"What the hell was that?!" She angrily hissed as the voices continued to quicken through the tinny comm. "I'm about this close to blowing your swollen ego to the next galaxy, damn what Mio says!"

Endrik's form became tense as he pushed past her to reach the comms, still listening to her angry shouts as he turned to her, shoulders tensed as if he expected her to launch herself at him.

"If they heard anyone else besides me they would have shot us down," Endrik bit out, voice tense." Endrik crossed his arms, head tilting back to the comm as it went silent.

Andromeda nostrils flared as she thought. Realizing that he did have a point, she huffed and angrily threatened, "Don't do that again if you'd like your rifle _not _shoved up your ass," before shoving him away from her comms and sitting in her rightful seat as pilot. He only grunted a barely there reply as he hovered over her seat as he listened. Finally a deeper voice rumbled in Huttese, garbling Endrik's name in a half-semblance.

Naz tuned the conversation out as he stared at Andromeda. She looked like she was barely controlling herself, leg bouncing quickly against the Ambition's floor while she gnawed angrily on the inside of her cheek. Her fingers flexed and relaxed against the steering wheel as her eyes bore holes into the cockpit's window. She clearly was upset about something more than just Endrik trying to speak over the comms and be in her cockpit.

He slowly scooted over in his seat, letting one of his feet drop to the ground. Tentatively, he slid his foot along the ground, scraping it against the metal floors. Finally, he reached out and tapped his foot, just the slightest, against Andromeda's boot.

Andromeda blinked and looked down at his foot, before looking up at him.

She didn't smile back at him, but her features did relax the slightest. Naz smiled back at her before pulling his foot away back to rest on the seat. A deeper, louder reply shook Naz out of his thoughts to see Endrik nodding curtly.

"I'll explain there, Grakkus," Endrik finally rumbled out. With a tinny reply, the comms cut out. Endrik sighed and clicked the comms off. "We're safe to land now," he replied, before swiftly walking away. Andromeda only glared as she securely grabbed the thruster and started to steer the ship towards the buildings. Now, Naz could see the roof starting to open itself, revealing a small docking port.

The ship slowly shuddered and slowly pulled itself up to land. "Those hydraulics in shape, Naz?" Andromeda mumbled, clicking them on and slowly pulling them out as the ship slowly started to land. Naz nodded quickly, crossing his fingers desperately that his repairs were enough.

With a low creaking and settling of the ship, it finally landed securely. Naz breathed out a sigh of relief. Andromeda managed to smirk, leaning over to grab his shoulder.

"Nice!" She squeezed her hand, "Hydraulics never been smoother, knew I picked a good repairman," She gave him one last pat as she stood up, stretching her arms back as she worked to pop the knobs of her spine.

Naz swallowed and picked himself out of the seat. "Andromeda," He asked carefully. SHe looked back at him, cocking her head. "You gonna be okay?"

Andromeda only looked at him. She finally shrugged and said, "Don't spend your paranoia points worrying about me, I'll be fine. If anything, worry about the ship, I'll be back before you can even finish repairing the Nav-com system."

Naz nodded back at her. She echoed his nod before she walked off, grabbing her jacket off the back of one of the chairs as she went back to her cabin. Naz stayed in the cockpit for a little while longer, his eyes locking on the steering wheel. His fingers twitched.

Maybe one day he'd learn to fly a machine just like this, a part of him whispered. He blinked the thought away and quickly walked away. He had a job to do, just like the crew had a job to get this mission done.

* * *

**And we're done! See you later in two weeks~**

**\- Rain**


	7. CHAPTER 5

Yikes everybody, this was supposed to go up so long ago. I honestly have no excuse other than extremely unmotivated? Yikes. This one's shorter than my usual updates, but anyway, here ya go! Review and let me know what you think!

I recommend listening to "**Disobey"** by Daniel Deluxe for this chapter, I really feel like it sums up the vibe of Nar Shadda. Enjoy!

* * *

_**Huttatown…**_

Nar Shadda really did not change no matter how long Miliwru stayed away. It was still the same trash hole that he left behind, with all the same disgusting people and the same disgusting streets and the same disgusting memories...

The urban streets glinted against the neon lights and signs scattered across the buildings and shops scattered along the side of concrete sidewalks. Garish, colorful signs advertising an array of products under the sun created their own light against the city even in the darkness of the early morning. Gray smoke and clouds covered the city like a blanket, shrouding the tops of skyscrapers and towering buildings in the haze.

The streets were overcrowded, Miliwru and the group had to keep shoving their way past the throngs of passer-bys. Noise was everywhere: People talking, speeders screaming by, advertisements clamoring for people to pay attention to them, another speeder, A lumbering truck. An angry throbbing sensation was pulsing against Miliwru's temple the louder everyone got. He was half-tempted to completely turn off his comms or even put his hands over his ears. It was. So. Damn. _Loud. _

And _Oh_, don't even get him started on the air pollution.

The pollution on Nar Shadda had reached near extreme levels over the past few years since he left. When he used to live here the wind currents would usually sweep away the smoke to haunt some other part of the city. But occasionally wind currents would change patterns every few years and keep the toxins circulating around the city. Miliwru remembered seasons like this with his sister- sometimes the smoke would get so bad they couldn't even leave their home for hours, days. One time they couldn't even leave for a month.

Miliwru stepped around a crowd of young teenagers with matching helmets, huddling against the wall as they shook out their sleeves and traded their loot amongst each other. A shout, and then they scattered in the alleyway as an angry looking Gungan hollered through a fabric mask and chased after them. Miliwru found himself momentarily stopping his quick pace as he watched them hoot and holler as they ran away with their stolen goods. A faint memory flickered against the back of his eyelids before he shook his head and continued onwards.

It was...a strange feeling for Miliwru to be back on his home-planet. He had left this place years

ago, quite happily leaving it to choke on its own disgusting politics and prejudices. He was glad to leave it behind, eager even. Sure, sometimes he had missed it, being able to depend on the planet consistently letting him down and stabbing him in the back. It was home, and it had been home for a long time as much as he hated being connected to it.

Being back was bringing up old memories he had forgotten about. He didn't like it one bit. But, at least it was for a cause and not just for some shitty reunion bash. Get the hacker and get paid handsomely, buy a nice little moon, and be surrounded in a daze of spice for the rest of his life. One step at a time right? You always have to think about the endgame, that was what Mastus always said-

Nope-Nope, not gonna go down that rabbit-hole. God, He could really use another hit right now, it would be fantastic to have another hit, maybe he could try and slip away once they grabbed that hacker and finished up here.

Miliwru must have been stopped walking, because soon Andromeda was poking him in the ribs with her finger. "What's got you in a twist?" Andromeda scratched at her jaw, frowning when she couldn't itch through the fabric of her red scarf tied around her face.

"Nothing," Miliwru replied back a bit too quickly, his voice tight and high. Andromeda didn't seem like she believed him one bit, but she didn't pry and instead shrugged her shoulders and shoved past him to continue walking ahead. She nearly tripped over a rotting packet of food strewn across the sidewalk, quickly changing her pace as she gagged.

Miliwru managed to not make the same mistake Andromeda did as he passed the trash. He held his arm across her path just as a bke roared past them, nearly running over a young Togruta. He moved his arm back as the bike disappeared amongst the other vehicles in the road. Andromeda only shook her head and scoffed.

"Forgot how much this place was a dump," Andromeda muttered, her voice tinny over their shared comm feed.

Miliwru snorted. Jeez, how can someone forget a place like this? "How many memories did you have to block to forget?"

Andromeda sighed as they waited for the lights to change, signalling them to cross the street. She tipped her head back, squinting against the hazy sky. "Too many, I haven't been back here in years. Think I was," she paused, biting the inside of her cheek, "20? 21? ."

Miliwru chuckled. He could feel the uneasiness slipping away just a bit, and he gladly took the opportunity not to focus on his emotions and instead on other people. A speeder roared past them, cutting off any conversation amidst the harsh sounds of traffic. Endrik sighed against the comms, giving Milwru a start. Geez, Miliwru had forgotten about him, the guy was unnervingly quiet when he wanted to. Like a cat, but covered in metal.

"What about you?" he asked, pointing a finger at Endrik, "Last time you been here?"

Endrik grunted, fingers twitching around the handle of his blaster. "Few standard months ago," he gruffly replied, "Bounty job for the Hutts."

"Was it for the same Hutts that we landed with-" Miliwru started just as a truck spewing thick dark smoke zoomed past them. He cursed, quickly backing away as his eyes started to burn like _hell._ His eyes were on fire, they were literally on fire, he could barely even breathe with how much his eyes hurt, He bemoaned his lack of goggles as he quickly wiped at his wet eyes onto his shoulder.

Andromeda was in the throes of a coughing fit, doubling over on the sidewalk and gasping between spasms of her chest. All Miliwru could see however was a sad-looking red lump crunched in half as she tried to hack up her lungs. He blinked dazedly against his watering eyes and wiped them again against the fabric on his vest. His vision had started to clear just as Andromeda groaned and stood up, holding a hand over where her mouth would be under her red scarf.

"I hate this planet," she croaked, her voice cracking under the static of her comm. Miliwru half-smiled in empathy. His eyes itched like mad, no doubt they were gonna be swollen in the morning, No doubt he looked like he just went through some kind of teenage love-sick breakup. The sooner they found this Vyna character the better.

"Come on," he jutted his chin out and quickly motioned for the other two to follow him, "We should be there soon."

Andromeda tightly nodded, her shoulders tight while Endrik grunted in approval. Miliwru sighed and turned back to the streets as he quickly repeated the address in his head.

"She lives at Tagara-47-12-12/7." His fingers tapped along his palm as he congratulated himself for remembering, "We gotta find block 47, then building 12, then her apartment," he pulled up the small note Vyna had included in her message to Mio. "Says she lives near some kind of bar, "The Lazy Eye."

"The Lazy eye?" Andromeda asked.

Miliwru nodded. "Apparently it also doubles as a cybernetics repair stop."

Andromeda grimaced, eyes lingering at the glittering (and most definitely fake) commodities displayed in dirty windows beside them. "Who the hell calls a bar 'The Lazy Eye'? That's a disgusting visual."

"It's probably a dump," Endrik commented. Andromeda laughed before dissolving into a hoarse cough. Endrik and Miliwru waited once again as she wheezed. Geez, she sounded like a dying loth-cat, that couldn't be good at all. She groaned, head thumping against her knees.

"You shouldn't keep talking, it'll only aggravate your airways more," Endrik sighed. Andromeda weakly cleared her throat before straightening. She looked like she wanted to say something, but finally she exhaled and pointed a finger at the streets before them.

They made quick work of crossing streets and turning corners after didn't encounter any trouble luckily, but who knows who they would see if they lingered on streets for too long. And Andromeda needed to get inside a building soon before she inhaled too many pollutants. In fact they probably all did need to get in a building too, not many helmets could filter out all the chemicals pumped into the air above Huttatown.

Milwru quickly turned a corner, ducking into an alleyway. "A short-cut," He called out, stepping into the shadowed space. Rainwater had collected in the backstreet, his boots splashing in the dirty water as he walked. He sighed, these were his favorite pair.

"Are we close?" Endrik asked tensely, shoulders squared as his helmet slowly peered across the back-alley.

Miliwru stepped out of the alleyway, motioning the others to follow him. "This is building 11," he pointed to a small apartment across the street decked in multicolored stringed lights. "So, building 12-"

"There," Endrik pointed to a small, modest apartment complex. Right next to it was the Lazy Eye itself, a small neon decal of a cybernetic eye falling from a cocktail. Creative sign, he had to give them that.

Endrik quickly strode up to the apartment's door and pressed the intercom button next to the engraved 'V' in the metal. Soon the door chirped and unlocked. He turned back to the group, holding the door open with his hand. Andromeda mock-curtsied before quickly walking in with Miliwru hot on her heels.

With the door closed and locked behind them, Andromeda quickly yanked the scarf away from her mouth, spitting the fabric away. She breathed in deeply then exhaled, smiling.

"Feeling better?" Miliwru asked, unclipping his helmet from his face. Andromeda nodded quickly.

"I'll feel even better when we're back on my ship," she sighed, pulling her ponytail away from the tangles of her scarf. Endrik hadn't even taken two steps to breathe before he was already heading to the stairwell

"She's apartment 7?" Endrik asked, starting up the stairs. Miliwru fought the urge to beg for a break. He hated stairs. There wasn't an elevator in here? And why did he have to be on the crew with the athletic people?

"Yep," Miliwru exhaled shallowly, "That's her." He clipped his helmet to his belt and sadly started walking up the stairs. God, did she have to be on the third floor? She couldn't have decided on an apartment on the floor?

"This place is kinda spiffy," Andromeda huffed as she passed him on the stairs, running them at a startling speed for someone who had inhaled a large amount of smoke. It clicked that Andromeda was most likely trying to pass Endrik on the stairs and get to the apartment first. Miliwru rolled his eyes. He didn't understand whatever little feud they had between the two of them, apparently she stole from him? Whatever, his fault for not being more aware of his money.

"She could have a side gig," Miliwru called back, pausing for a breather against the wall as he tried to control his panting. Geez, he breathed better outside in the smoke, was he that out of shape?

Endrik footsteps clanged above him. "The Syndicate pays well."

Miliwru grumbled, finally reaching the top of the stairs and striding down a corner to find the two already standing by a door. Andromeda cocked her head at him, "You took your sweet time getting here," She laughed, suppressing a cough in her chest. Miliwru just rolled his eyes and stepped forward, staring at the number embedded in the mechanical door.

"Its Apartment 7, this is her," he scratched at his cheek. "Do we knock or-"

Endrik apparently had already decided for them when he brought up his fist and quickly banged on the door. "Vyna?"

Silence. Miliwru straightened and bit the inside of his cheek. Endrik paused, his fist still lingering on the door. "You sure this is her apartment?"

Miliwru shook his head. "It has to be, that's what she told us." Andromeda crossed her arms and leaned over Miliwru's shoulder to read the apartment number.

"Think she would have lied about her location?" She said, musing.

Endrik grunted, shaking his head. "Better not have," was his reply before banging on the door again.

"I've lied about where I've lived, so it's not too out of the blue to assume she did too," Miliwru leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. They were probably gonna be here awhile, no doubt. Andromeda hummed and shoved her hands in her jacket's pockets.

"It's a classic con maneuver," she explained to no one in particular, "You get someone in one place while you escape to another."

Endrik stiffened. "You think she escaped Huttatown?"

Andromeda shrugged her shoulders. "I certainly hope not, that makes our job harder. I hate bounty missions," she sniffed, "Too much chasing."

"Prefer others chasing you?" Miliwru asked, raising an eyebrow.

Andromeda grinned back like a loth-cat.

Endrik frowned and pushed himself away from the door. "She's not here."

Miliwru pursed his lips. "Well that sucks ass."

Andromeda nodded. "Ditto." She paused. "So, what do you think we-"

Endrik suddenly went still, holding a hand up to silence Andromeda mid-sentence. Her eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Someone's coming up the stairwell," Endrik responded.

Andromeda's eyes hardened. "Someone she sent to get rid of us?" She whispered back. Endrik nodded slowly, unclipping his blaster from his belt as he placed himself against the wall, staring hard at where the walls of the apartments and stairwell met. Andromeda and Miliwru moved to the other side of the doorway.

Now Miliwru could hear footsteps, loud ones, walking down the hall. He stiffened and placed his hand on his holster, just in case. Andromeda leaned over and mouthed the words, "Think its a hitman?" to Endrik. Endrik said nothing in response, just a tip of his head as the footsteps grew louder. The person was getting close.

Miliwru grit his teeth. He really didn't want to get into a fight today, especially in Nar Shadda. Did his old friends somehow see him land and we're coming back for their chunk of flesh? His hands gripped his blaster. No way was he gonna be stuck on this planet and dragged back into their squabbles if he could help it.

Someone came into view. Miliwru ripped his blaster out of his holster and aimed.

Vyna Vancil, cradling an assortment of food containers and plastic bags on her arm and looking downright mouselike, screamed.

_Shit. _

* * *

So that was the chapter! I'll try and get the next chapter up much sooner. See y'all later!  
\- Rain


End file.
